I-NRLF 


B   M   SE1   731 


Sugar:  A  New  and  Profitable  Industry 
in  the  United  States  for  Agri= 
culture,  Capital  and  Labor,  to 
Supply  the  Home  Harket  with 
$100,000,000  of  its  Product, 


I 


AGRIC,  DEPL 


CHARTS 


OF  THE 


AMERICAN  SUGAR  INDUSTRY, 


Map  No.  1.    Shows  location  of  existing  beet  sugar  factories  and  cane  sugarhouses. 

Map  No.  2.    Indicates  some  of  the  counties  in  which  efforts  are  being  made  to  s 
cure  sugar  factories  or  where  they  are  wanted. 

Map  No.  3.    Indicates  possible  areas  adapted  to  the  sugar  beet  and  sugar  cane. 


II 

II 


II 

! 


I  OF  THE 

i      COLLEGE  OP 


SUGAR 


new  and  Profitable  Industry 

IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 

Tor  Capital,  Agriculture  and  Labor 


-TO  SUPPLY  THE 


HOME  MARKET  YEARLY  WITH 
$100,000,000  OF  ITS  PRODUCT., 


THE  SUGAR  INDUSTRY  OF  AMERICA 

Its  Past,  Present  and  Future.    How  to  enable  our  own  people  to  produce  all  they  consume,  and 

thus  put  into  their  own  pockets  the  vast  sums  now  sent  abroad  annually  to  pay  for 

imported  sugar.     A  practical  aid  toward  relieving  agricultural  depression,  by 

affording  hundreds  of   extensive   home  markets  for  thousands  of 

acres  of  sugar  beets  and  cane. 

THE  WHOLE  SUGAR  SITUATION 

Comprehensively  discussed,  with  illustrated  descriptions  of  all  cultural  and  factory  processes, 

an  index  to  the  American  sugar  trade,  and  a  directory  of  many  localities  that  offer 

exceptional  inducements  to  capital  to  embark  in  beet  sugar  and  cane  sugar. 

The  plan  of  campaign  of  the  American  Sugar  Growers'  Society. 


BY  HERBERT  MYRICK 


Orange  ludd  Company 

new  York  and  Chicago 


Extra  Number  American   Agriculturist,  New  York,  and  Orange  Judd  Farmer,    Chicago 


Copyright,  1897, 
BY  ORANGE  JUDD  COMPANY. 


OUTLINE  OF  THIS  WORK. 


Author.— HERBERT  MYRICK,  editor  American  Agriculturist,  Orange  Judd 
Farmer,  New  England  Homestead,  Farm  and  Home ;  author  (jointly  with  Col  J. 
B.  Killebrew)  of  "Leaf  Tobacco:  Its  Culture  and  Cure,  Marketing  and  Manufac- 
ture;"also  of  "How  to  Co-operate,"  etc,  etc. ;  President  Orange  Judd  Company, 
Treasurer  American  Sugar  Growers'  Society,  etc,  etc.  Assisted  by  PROF  W.  C. 
STUBBS,  director  Louisiana  Sugar  Experiment  Station,  by  various  directors  of 
State  Agricultural  Experiment  Stations,  and  by  numerous  practical  experts  in  the 
culture  of  sugar  beets  on  a  successful  commercial  scale.  Embodying  also  the 
results  of  all  work  upon  this  subject  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture. 

Character. — IN  GENERAL,  the  book  aims  to  give  an  account  of  what  has  been  done 
in  the  Beet  and  Cane  sugar  industry,  just  how  it  has  been  done,  with  reliable 
directions  from  actual  recent  experience  under  American  conditions,  that  make  it 
a  guide  to  the  farmer,  capitalist,  and  others  now  or  likely  to  be  interested  in  any 
way  in  the  sugar  industry.  Yet  it  is  not  blind  to  the;  fact  that  there  is  much  to 
learn  in  this  matter  under  American  conditions. 

Illustrated  with  over  100  ENGRAVINGS,  mostly  from  photographs  taken  especially 
for  this  work,  of  beet  sugar  factory  interiors  and  exteriors,  cane  sugarhouses,  im- 
plements, etc.,  with  maps  showing  the  present  conditions  and  possibilities  of 
American  sugar  industry. 

Part  One.-THE  AMERICAN  SUGAR  INDUSTRY  IN  ITS  ECONOMIC  ASPECTS 
—The  farmer,  the  tariff  and  the  sugar  industry— Imports  of  sugar  into  United  States 
— An  economic  crime — How  competition  of  foreign  sugar  has  grown — Present 
and  future  competition  in  suscar— Injustice  of  the  Hawaiian  treaty — The  world's 
production  of  sugar — What  of  the  United  States — American  farmers'  demands- 
Can  this  country  produce  its  own  sugar? — Will  the  United  States  produce  its  own 
sugar?— Time  necessary— The  risk  to  capital — What  stands  in  the  way  of  the 
American  sugar  industry? — What  is  needed — Amount  of  protection  required — Duty 
on  sugar  in  the  United  States  and  other  countries — Will  protection  enhance  the 
price  of  sugar  to  consumers? — Why  has  not  the  American  sugar  industry  developed 
more  rapidly?— Farmers  now  mean  business— American  Sugar  Growers'  Society, 
its  objects,  plan  of  work  and  preliminary  organization. 

Part  Two.— THE  CANE  SUGAR  INDUSTRY— The  area  capable  of  growing  sugar 
cane— Peculiarity  of  the  crop — Present  obstacles  to  the  cane  industry — The  great 

VII 

331978 


trouble  in  the  sugar-cane  industry — The  soil  adapted  to  sugar  cane— How  the  soil 
is  usually  prepared— Culture— Harvesting — Rotation  of  crops— How  to  start  the 
cane-sugar  industry — Description  of  manufacture — Quality  and  grades  of  the 
product. 

Part  Threc.-THE  BEET  SUGAK  INDUSTRY  IN  AMERICA. 

CHAPTER  I.— WHAT  HAS  BEEN  ACCOMPLISHED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 
— Failure  of  early  attempts  — An  exception — Honor  to  whom  honor  is  due — Recent 
development— The  record  in  brief— What  of  the  future— Elementary  principles- 
Technical  terms  explained — Quality  of  the  beet  sugar — How  beet  sugar  is  made. 

CHAPTER  II.— HOW  THE  INDUSTRY  HAS  GROWN  IN  EACH  STATE— Califor- 
nia, the  Spreckels  enterprise  at  Watsonville — Alvarado's  persistent  fight  and  final 
triumph — The  marvellous  results  at  Chino — The  new  factories  in  California — Ne- 
braska's trying  experience  and  ultimate  success — Wonderful  results  in  Utah — In  the 
Pecos  Valley  of  New  Mexico— The  new  factory  in  Wisconsin — Scientific  and  prac- 
tical tests  to  demonstrate  the  adaptability  of  the  sugar  beet  to  conditions  in  the 
other  States,  including  results  of  the  1896  crop. 

CHAPTER  III.— CULTURE  OF  THE  SUGAR  BEET— Climatic  Conditions— Varie- 
ties of  beets — Soils  for  the  sugar  beet — Rotation  of  crops — Feeding  the  plant — 
Plowing — More  about  subsoiling — Preparation  of  seed  bed — Seeding — Hoeing — 
Thinning  out — Irrigation — Harvesting — Storing  beets — Feeding  and  storing  beet 
pulp,  tops  and  molasses. 

CHAPTER  IV. -COMMERCIAL  ASPECTS  OF  THE    BEET  SUGAR  INDUSTRY 

— Cost  and  profit*  of  beet  culture — Actual  recent  experience  of  practical  farmers 
in  raising  beets  on  a  large  and  small  scale — How  the  industry  employs  and  pays 
labor — Its  manifold  advantages — The  brilliant  promise  to  capital,  provided  the 
American  market  is  reserved  for  American  sugar — How  to  start  a  sugar  factory,  its 
location,  requirements,  equipment,  management,  etc — Cautions  to  all  new  to  the 
industry, 

Miscellaneous. — APPENDIX — A  directory  of  some  of  the  many  communities  that 
want  beet  sugar  factories— Announcements  of  sugar  engineers,  contractors  for 
sugar  factory  equipments,  refining  outfitters,  seed  dealers,  beet  lands,  etc. 


VIII 


THE  SUGAR  INDUSTRY. 


PART  ONE. 


THE   ECONOMIC    ASPECTS    OF    SUGAR. 

THE     FARMER,    THE     TARIFF     AND  THE    SUGAR    INDUSTRY. 

It  required  every  pound  of  the  wheat  and  flour  exported  by  the  United  States 
during  the  fiscal  year  1896  to  pay  for  the  sugar  imported.*  The  total  value  of  all  live 
and  dressed  beef,  beef  products  and  lard  exported  during  the  past  year  barely  equaled 
the  amount  paid  for  imported  sugar.  Our  immense  export  trade  in  cotton  represents 
in  value  only  twice  as  much  as  our  import  of  sugar.  Our  vast  exports  of  tobacco  must 
be  magnified  thrice  to  counterbalance  sugar  imports.  The  barley,  oats  and  rye,  fruits 
and  nuts,  hops,  vegetable  oils,  oleomargarine,  butter  and  cheese,  pork  and  hams  that 
were  exported  last  year  all  put  together  represent  in  value  only  two-thirds  of  the 
sugar  imported. 

IT    IS   AN  ECONOMIC   CRIME 

to  compel  American  farmers  to  raise  staples  in  competition  with  the  cheap-land-and- 
Jabor  countries,  with  which  to  pay  for  imported  sugar,  besides  standing  the  freight 
and  commission  both  ways.  No  wonder  agriculture  is  depressed,  for  not  only  are 
American  farmers  deprived  of  the  home  market  for  100  million  dollars'  worth  of  sugar 
annually,  but  imports  of  other  produce  that  can  be  grown  within  our  borders  average 


*  Table  A.— IMPORTS  OF  SUGAR  INTO  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Expressed  in  millions  of  pounds. 

Countries  from  which      / — Calendar    year  ended  Dec.  31. / — Fiscal  year  ended — , 

imported.  1879  1894  June  30,  1896. 

Cuba,  etc.,  1,360,000,000  Total  2,203,000,000  Total          986,000,000  Total 

West  Indies,  Mexico,  etc.,         117,000,000  362,000,000  546,000,000 

Central  America,  1,477,OOO,OOO  2.565,OOO,OOO  1,532,OOO,OOO 

Brazil,  63,000,000  258,000,000  191,000,000 

Other  South  American,  19,000,000  147,000,000  164,000,000 

South  America,  82,OOO,OOO  405,OOO,OOO  355,000,000 

Hawaii,  42,000,000  325,000,000  352,000,000 

East  Indies,  167,000,000  420,000,000  701,000,000 

Oceanica,  2O9,OOO,OOO  745,OOO,OOO  1,O53,OOO.OOO 

aEurope,  7,OOO,OOO  554,OOO,OOO  629,OOO,OOO 

Other  countries,  8,OOO,OOO  16,OOO,OOO  137.OOO,OOO 

Total,  1,783,OOO,OOO  4,286,OOO,OOO  3,7O6,OOO,OOO 

a  Includes  for  1894,  from  Germany  355  million  pounds,  United  Kingdom  49,  Netherlands  12,  France 

14,  Austria  Hungary  44  and  Belgium  80  million  pounds. 

a  Includes  for  18%,  from  Germany  450  million   pounds,  United  Kingdom  37,  Netherlands  7,  Austria- 
Hungary  40,  and  Belgium  72,  other  Europe  21  million  pounds. 


THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


120  million  dollars  per  year  more— wool,  hides,  cotton,  tobacco,  vegetables,  breadstuffs, 
dairy  produce,  fruits  and  nuts,  hops,  hay,  oils,  rice,  flaxseed,  bristles,  bark,  sumach, 
chicory,  eggs,  hair,  etc.  Add  imports  of  manufactures  of  hides,  wool  and  cotton, 
most  of  which  could  be  made  in  this  country  from  domestic  produce,  and  we  have  a 
total  of  nearly  300  million  dollars  a  year,  of  which  American  farmers  could,  should 
and  must  have  a  larger  share  without  necessarily  curtailing  their  exports  of  farm 
products.  Some  officials  wax  jubilant  over  agricultural  exports  of  570  millions,  appar- 
ently blind  to  the  fact  that  fully  half  of  these  exports  are  required  to  pay  for  farm 
imports,  exclusive  of  tea,  coffee,  and  similar  articles  not  now  produced  within  our 
borders.  Payments  for  these  imports  of  raw  produce  and  manufactures  of  them 
during  the  past  six  years  have  been  If  billions  of  dollars — twice  as  much  as  the  entire 
interest-bearing  national  debt. 

PRESENT  AND  FUTURE  COMPETITION  IN  SUGAR. 

The  astonishing  changes  in  the  world's  sugar  situation  during  the   past  two  years 
are  revealed  in  Table  B.*    It  will  be  seen  that  in  spite  of  the  almost  annihilation  of 


*  Table  B — MORE  RECENT  IMPORTS  OF  SUGAR  INTO  THE  UNITED  STATES— WITH  THE 

QUANTITIES    AND  VALUES  FOR  THE  ELEVEN    MONTHS  ENDED  NOV.    30,    1896,    COM- 
PARED WITH  LIKE  PERIOD  FOR  1895. 


SUMMARY. 

Not  above  No.  16,  Dutch  standard. 

Pounds. 

Values. 

Pounds. 

Values. 

1895. 

1896. 

Beet  sugar,  duty, 
Cane  and  other  (under  reciprocity  treaty  with 
Hawaiian  Islands)  free, 

197,518,466 
287,241,215 

$3,488,811 
7,603,108 

996,882,058 
427,597,959 

$21,664,611 
14,395,266 

Cane  sugar,  duty, 
Above  No.  16,  Dutch  standard. 

2,829,002,221 

52,791,998 

2,314,671,164 

51,159,954 

Beet,  cane  and  other,  duty, 

83,591,941 

2,144,451 

184,999,206 

5,285,145 

Total  sugar,     }     ^ 

287,241,215 
3,110,112,628 

$7,603,108 
58,425,260 

427,519,959 
3,496,552,428 

$14,395,266 
78,109,710 

IMPORTS  IN 

DETAIL—  FROM 

EUROPE. 

Under  No.  16,  Dutch  standard. 

Pounds. 

Values. 

Pounds. 

Values. 

1895. 

1896. 

United  Kingdom, 

11,726,525 

$223,296 

34,817,129 

$818,717 

Austria-Hungary, 

5,021,834 

89,650 

54,919,481 

1,224,043 

Belgium, 

17,077,297 

292,119 

83,874,887 

1,974,567 

Germany, 

167,085,525 

2,973,033 

814,792,974 

17,505,183 

Netherlands, 

4,780,704 

75,652 

7,300,662 

156,592 

Other  Europe, 
British  North  America, 

5,569 
24,047,044 

345 
506,594 

21,437,146 
1,096,522 

489,532 
87,902 

Total, 

229,744,498 

94,  160,689 

1,018,238,801 

$22,256,536 

FROM  "COUNTRIES  TO  THE  SOUTH  OF  US." 

Under  No.  16,  Dutch  standard. 

Pounds. 

Values. 

Pounds. 

Values. 

1895. 

1896. 

Central  American  States, 

714,370 

$9,087 

Mexico, 

2,704,791 

35,753 

4,422,609 

$77,482 

British  West  Indies, 

160,802,007 

2,921,691 

252,098,003 

5,435,206 

Cuba, 

1,816,940,204 

35,013,065 

415,344,400 

10,100,120 

Other  West  Indies, 

162,002,834 

2,807,100 

342,630,730 

7,757,586 

Brazil, 

159,163,682 

3,286,460 

Other  South  America, 

106,501,000 

2,281,172 

168,847,657 

3,716,369 

Total, 


2,249,665.206      843,067,868      1,342,507,081 

FROM  THE  "CHEAP  LABOR"  COUNTRIES  OF  THE  ORIENT. 


Under  No.  16,  Dutch  standard. 

China, 
East  Indies, 
Hawaiian  Islands, 
Philippine  Islands, 
Other  Asia  and  Oceanica, 
Other  countries, 
Africa, 

Total, 


Pounds. 

1895. 

709,376 

301,010,479 

287,241,215 

75,832,592 

56,243 

148,012,975 

21,489,318 


Values. 


$15,334 
5,583,094 


Pounds. 


1,052,804 
926 

1,989,339 
410,755 


662,182,292 

427,519,959 

127,013,996 

31,021,036 

475 

130,221,152 


$31,073,223 

Values. 

$7,833 

14,061,184 

14,395,210 

2,161,762 


14 
3,140,325 


834,352,198,  816,655,360   1,378,327,299   834,590,020 


ECONOMIC   ASPECTS   OF   SUGAR.  3 

the  industry  in  Cuba,  total  imports  of  sugar  into  the  United  States  in  1896  were  even 
more  than  in  the  previous  year. 

Still  more  remarkable  is  the  fact  that  imports  from  Europe  for  '96  were  five  times 
as  much  as  during  the  previous  year.  For  the  calendar  year  1896  the  United  States 
paid  Europe  over  $25, 000, 000  for  sugar.  All  but  a  fraction  of  this  was  from  sugar 
beets  grown  in  Europe  and  worked  into  sugar  at  European  factories,  the  shipment  of 
which  to  this  country  was  stimulated  by  export  bounties.  If  Europe  can  make  such 
an  increase  in  one  year,  what  may  she  not  accomplish  within  the  next  five  years,  if  the 
American  market  continues  at  her  mercy? 

Quite  as  momentous  is  the  enormous  increase  during  the  past  year  in  imports  of 
sugar  from  the  Orient.  This  sugar  is  largely  grown  by  the  coolie  labor  of  China,  the 
East  Indies,  the  Philippines  and  Oceanica,  or  the  fellah  labor  of  Africa.  English 
operators  of  Egyptian  sugar  plantations  worked  by  fellahs  for  a  few  cents  a  day  were 
paid  over  $3,000,000  for  their  sugar  shipped  to  the  United  States  last  year,  or  eight 
times  as  much  as  the  year  previous.  The  increase  from  the  coolie-grown  product  of 
the  East  Indies,  and  from  the  debased  labor  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  is  equally  as 
great.  Unless  protected  against  the  yellow  labor  of  the  East,  it  is  a  question  whether 
its  manipulation  of  the  sugar  cane  will  yet  crowd  to  the  rear  the  forceful  European 
beet-sugar  industry. 

Imports  of  cane  sugar  from  "the  countries  to  the  south  of  us"  show  a  decided 
falling  off.  In  spite  of  the  Cuban  war,  it  is  a  matter  of  common  notoriety  that  the 
competition  of  European  beet  sugars  has  so  usurped  the  sugar  markets  of  the  world 
that  the  industry  is  no  longer  profitable  under  even  the  most  favored  natural  condi- 
tions in  British  West  Indies,  and  Her  Majesty's  government  is  now  seeking  some 
means  of  remedying  the  difficulty.  Mr  Gladstone  and  other  British  free-traders  are 
outspoken  against  the  German  export  bounty. 

THE   SANDWICH  ISLAND  INJUSTICE. 

But  the  worst  and  most  inexcusable  phase  of  the  sugar  situation  is  the  unjust,, 
unfair,  illegal,  and  unbusiness-like  competition  of  sugar  from  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 
This  sugar  is  admitted  free  under  the  reciprocity  treaty  which  has  been  in  effect  with 
the  Sandwich  Islands  since  1876.  In  the  following  twenty  years,  the  United  States 
sent  to  the  Islands  only  $56, 000, 000  worth  of  exports,  while  we  imported  from  the 
Islands  $140,000,000  worth  of  sugar.  The  Islands  have  thus  made  $84,000,000  at  the 
expense  of  the  United  States.  The  duties  remitted  on  Hawaiian  sugar  since  1876; 
now  amount  to  over  $61,000,000.  In  other  words,  this  government  has  allowed  the 
Sandwich  Islands  over  $61,000,000  in  bounties  to  develop  their  cane-sugar  industry  at 
the  expense  of  American  farmers  and  to  the  loss  of  the  federal  revenues.  Contract 
coolie  labor  is  employed  to  raise  this  cane. 

THE  WORLD'S  PRODUCTION  OF  SUGAR. 

It  is  now  two-thirds  larger  than  ten  years  ago.  Production  and  consumption  are 
increasing  between  6  and  7  per  cent  per  annum.  Thus  the  industry  is  doubling  itself 
every  fifteen  years.  Beet  sugar  was  an  insignificant  quantity  until  within  quite  recent 
years.  But  look  at  its  gain  lately : 

World's  production.  Tons  of  2240  pounds.  Gain  per  cent. 

1884  1894 

Beet  sugar,  2,69O,OOO  4,790,OOO  78 

Cane  sugar,  3,180,000  3,080,000  41 


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THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


Thus  the  beet  has  gained  twice  as  fast  as  the  cane.  The  beet-root  sugar  grown  in 
the  temperate  regions  of  Europe,  and  even  as  far  north  as  cold  Sweden,  has,  with  the 
aid  of  the  chemist  and  of  the  skilled  manufacturer,  overtaken  and  surpassed  the  cane 
of  the  tropics.  The  development  has  not  been  even,  but  its  enormous  proportions  are 
manifest  from  this  comparison  : 


DEVELOPMENT  OF    THE  BEET  SUGAR  INDUSTRY  IN    EUROPE. 

1884 
653,000 


Production  (tons  of  2240  pounds) 
Austria-Hungary, 

Germany,  1,147,000 

France,  303,000 

Belgium,  116,000 

Holland,  48,000 

Russia,  406,000 

Other  European  countries,  18,000 

Total  European  sugar  production  (beet),        2,691,000 


WHAT  OF  THE  UNITED   STATES. 


1894 

1,050,000 
1,800,000 
814,000 
230,000 
90,000 
600,000 
108,000 

4,792^00 


Gain  percent. 

61 

57 
163 

99 

88 

48 
600 

78 


Now,  while  these  countries  have  been  getting  rich  by  growing  sugar  for  the 
American  market,  our  domestic  sugar  industry  has  been  languishing,  except  for  a 
brief  spurt  under  the  McKinley  law,  which  was  not  in  operation  long  enough  for  its 
influence  to  be  fully  exerted  in  the  development  of  the  American  sugar  industry. 
Here  is  a  table  which  brings  out  the  facts  on  these  latter  points : 

Table  C. — THE  SUGAR  TRADE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  figures  for  domestic  production  are  from  Willett  &  Gray's  Sugar  Statistical,  the  acknowledged 
authority,  and  were  especially  compiled  by  them  for  this  work.  The  domestic  crop  each  year  is  manu- 
factured into  sugar  between  August  and  February  of  the  succeeding  year.  Hence,  the  figures  are  for 
the  crop  grown  in  the  first  year  named  in  the  first  column,  while  the  imports  are  for  the  fiscal  year 
ended  the  June  30  following.  Adding  the  domestic  production  and  imports  gives  the  total  supply  of 
sugar,  from  which  the  consumption  per  capita  is  estimated.  The  wholesale  value  of  imported  sugar  is 
given  as  reported  by  the  United  States  treasury  department,  whose  official  figures  of  quantities  of 
imports  are  also  used.  The  average  value  per  pound  of  " fair  refining"  sugar  each  year  is  given  in  the 
last  column.  This,  multiplied  by  the  pounds  of  domestic  sugar  produced,  gives  the  estimated  whole- 
sale value  of  the  American  product,  though  the  figures  are  probably  too  high.  This,  added  to  the  value 
of  imported  sugar,  gives  the  total  wholesale  value  of  the  sugar  consumed  in.  the  United  States  each 
year. 

[In  long  tons  of  2240  pounds,  as  used  in  the  sugar  trade.] 


Fiscal 
Years. 

Domestic  Production. 

Imports. 

U.  S.  Con- 
Total,    sumption.       "Wholesale  Value.       Value. 

July  1  to     Cane. 
June  30.      Tons. 

Beet. 
Tons. 

Total.    Foreign  sugar.  Supply.  Per  capita.  Imp.  Dom.          Total.    Average. 
Tons.             Tons.             Tons.       Pounds.  Million  dollars.  Dollars.  Per  Ib. 

1880-81 

92,802 

500 

93,302 

869,082 

962,384 

44 

83.4 

15.8 

$99,200,000 

7.58 

1881-82 

127,367 

500 

127,867 

888,416 

1,016,283 

48 

84.4 

21.8 

106,200,000 

7.62 

1882-83 

76,373 

500 

76,873 

954,316 

1,031,189 

51 

84.3 

12.5 

96,800.000 

7.25 

1883-84 

142,297 

535 

142,832 

1,230,543 

1,373,375 

51 

98.3 

21.5 

119,800,000 

6.76 

1884-85 

135,243 

953 

136,196 

1,213,341 

1,349,537 

52 

72.6 

16.1 

88,700,000 

5.27 

1885-86 

100,876 

600 

101,476 

1,200,840 

1,302,316 

53 

80.8 

11.4 

92,200,000 

5.02 

1886-87 

135,158 

800 

135,958 

1,400,108 

1,536,066 

.53 

78.5 

14.9 

93,400,000 

4.88 

1887-88 

85,394 

255 

85,649 

1,205,484 

1,291,133 

57 

74.3 

9.0 

83,300,000 

4.70 

1888-89 

167,814 

1,910 

169,724 

1,233,122 

1,402,846 

53 

88.6 

19.2 

107,800,000 

5.05 

1889-90 

153,909 

2,600 

156,509 

1,309,822 

1,466,331 

53 

96.2 

20.1 

116,300,000 

5.73 

1890-91 

136,503 

2,800 

139,303 

1,555,123 

1,694,426 

66 

95.1 

15.7 

110,800,000 

5.01 

1891-92 

221,951 

5,359 

227,310 

1,587,728 

1,815,038 

64 

104.1 

17.2 

121,300,000 

3.37 

1892-93 

165,437 

12,091 

177,528 

1,486,656 

1,664,184 

64 

116.2 

11.2 

127,400,000 

2.81 

1893-94 

235,886 

20,453 

256,339 

1,939,818 

2,196,157 

67 

126.7 

18.4 

135,100,000 

3.20 

1894-95 

271,336 

20,443 

291,889 

1,595,808 

1,887,697 

64 

75.0 

16.9 

91,900,000 

2.60 

1895-96 

324,506 

30,000 

354,506 

1,739,313 

2,093,819 

63 

89.2 

23.2 

102,400,000 

2.92 

1896-97 

243,220 

40,000 

283,220 

? 

20.0 

3.16 

Totals,  2,816,072        140,299       2,956,481        21,409,520        25,182,649 


1447.7        284.9       1,692,600,000 


It  appears  from  this  table  that  in   the  sixteen  years,  1880  to  1895   inclusive,  the 
United  States  produced  2,673,000  long  tons  of  sugar,  or  just   about   one-tenth   of   the 


ECONOMIC    ASPECTS   OF    SUGAR.  7 

total  consumption  during  this  period.  The  table  also  shows  that  not  only  did  the 
total  consumption  of  sugar  double  in  less  than  sixteen  years,  but  the  per  capita  con- 
sumption increased  fully  one-half  during  the  same  time. 

It  also  appears  that  the  United  State  paid  out  for  imported  sugar  during  these 
16  years  almost  $1, 500, 000, 000.  Jf  the  imports  of  molasses,  etc,  were  included  and  ex- 
ports of  saccharine  deducted,  the  figures  would  show  fully  this  amount.  In  other 
words,  this  country  has  paid  out  an  average  of  just  about  $100,000,000  per  year  for 
sugar  for  nearly  two  decades,  in  the  face  of  the  steadily  declining  values  of  sugar 
indicated  in  the  last  column.  Still  more  startling  is  the  fact  that  our  per  capita 
consumption,  around  65  pounds  annually,  is  two  and  three  times  as  much  as  the 
consumption  in  Germany,  France  and  other  sugar-producing  countries. 

THE   AMERICAN    FARMERS    DEMAND 

a  fair  chance  to  produce  everything  our  people  consume  that  can  be  grown  in  the 
United  States.  They  want  to  begin  with  sugar,  both  cane  and  beet.  Why?  Because 
with  reasonable  protection  and  factories  to  work  up  these  crops,  sugar  cane  and  sugar 
beets  promise  to  afford  farmers  the  new  source  of  reasonable  profits  that  are  impera- 
tively required  to  help  relieve  agricultural  depression.  Sugar  beets  at  $4  to  $5  per 
ton,  or  cane  at  corresponding  prices,  are  fairly  profitable  crops  compared  to  cereals, 
potatoes,  tobacco,  cotton,  etc. 

An  acre  of  corn  at  the  west,  yielding  40  bushels  of  grain  worth  15c  per  bushel, 
will  buy  something  more  than  100  Ibs  of  granulated  sugar  at  the  grocery  store.  That 
same  acre  or'  land  devoted  to  sugar  beets  will  produce  2000  to  3000  Ibs  of  refined  sugar, 
like  the  finest  white  sugar  you  can  buy.  The  corn  under  such  conditions  returns 
about  $6  per  acre  for  all  the  labor  and  capital  invested  in  that  crop.  Sugar  beets 
yield  $25  to  $50  per  acre,  and  while  they  require  far  more  labor,  they  pay  for  it  ?nd 
leave  a  net  profit  of  $10  to  $25  per  acre,  which  is  handsome  compared  to  the  meager 
returns  from  corn,  wheat,  oats,  etc. 

SUGAR  AND  THE  MONETARY  PROBLEM. 

The  country  has  been  convulsed  over  the  proposition  of  free  silver  coinage  at  16 
to  1.  The  most  ardent  advocates  of  that  policy  have  not  proposed  to  coin  more  than 
100, 000, 000  silver  dollars  per  year.  Now  without  discussing  the  pros  and  cons  of  the 
silver  question,  no  one  will  deny  the  benefits  that  would  accrue  by  keeping  at  home 
the  100,000,000  of  (gold  standard)  dollars  that  are  sent  out  of  the  country  each  year 
for  sugar.  If  this  sugar  is  all  paid  for  in  money  (instead  of  partly  in  merchandise), 
keeping  at  home  this  vast  sum  would  inflate  our  per  capita  circulation  nearly  $1.50 
each  year,  or  $15  in  ten  years,  and  in  15  years  it  would  double  our  present  per  capita 
circulation.  Certainly  ic  would  help  to  solve  the  currency  problem  to  keep  at  home 
the  money  that  now  goes  abroad  for  sugar. 

CAN  THIS   COUNTRY  PRODUCE  ITS  OWN  SUGAR? 

There  is  no  longer  any  doubt  about  it.  The  sugar  beet  can  be  grown  over  a  large 
part  of  the  United  States,  and  in  some  sections  attains  a  perfection  never  approached 
in  other  countries. 

The  sugar  cane  is  adapted  to  a  far  larger  area  than   has  been  generally  supposed. 

The  maps  forming  the  frontispieces  to  this  book  show  the  probable  possible  dis- 
tribution of  these  commercial  crops.  The  lines  on  the  map  No  3  are  based  on  the 


0  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

latest  and  best  practical  experience.  It  is  not  denied  that  either  of  these  sugar  crops 
will  succeed  better  in  certain  localities  and  climates,  upon  certain  soils,  fertilizers, 
etc,  than  under  other  conditions.  The  regions  that  offer  the  best  natural  and  artifi- 
cial advantages  for  the  industry  are  to  be  carefully  ascertained,  but  they  will  be  found 
within  the  the  spaces  indicated  on  our  map.  Chart  No  1  shows  the  present  location 
of  sugar  factories. 

In  Map  No  2  we  indicate  the  counties  that  have  already  started  a  movement  to 
secure  a  sugar  factory.  In  some  of  these  counties  several  towns  are  aspirants  for  the 
factory.  Many  of  these  efforts  are  as  yet  unorganized  and  are  being  pushed  with  scant 
knowledge  of  the  requirements  of  the  industry.  But  in  many  cases,  the  farmers  have 
abundantly  demonstrated  that  they  can  furnish  beets  of  necessary  quantity  and  qual- 
ity to  supply  a  factory,  local  capitalists  are  interested,  and  it  only  needs  favorable 
legislation  and  good  business  management  to  speedily  establish  the  industry  in  such 
places. 

WILL  THE  UNITED   STATES  PRODUCE  ITS  OWN  SUGAR? 

Yes,  if  congress  gives  our  farmers  a  chance  to  do  so.  The  following  pages  show 
what  has  been  done.  The  exhibit  is  the  best  possible  proof  of  what  will  be  done  in 
future  if  the  industry  is  given  a  fair  chance. 

In  four  years — 1892  to  1895 — the  domestic  production  of  cane  sugar  jumped  from 
165,000  to  324,000  tons.  Of  beet  sugar,  the  domestic  production  was  255  tons  in  1887, 
5,359  tons  in  1891,  20,000  tons  each  year  1893-4,  30,000  tons  in  1895  and  for  the  campaign 
of  1896  makes  the  handsome  total  of  40,000  tons.  Imports  of  beet  sugar  in  the  twelve 
months  of  1896  reached  523, 000  tons. 

The  statement  in  the  following  pages  of  what  has  been  accomplished  with  sugar 
in  the  United  States  is  the  most  complete  and  up-to-date  yet  published.  Our  effort 
has  been  to  make  it  so  brief  that  all  will  read  it,  so  clear  that  all  will  understand  it, 
so  comprehensive  that  all  will  grasp  the  possibilities  of  the  American  sugar  industry, 
so  reliable  that  this  work  may  be  a  faithful  aid  to  all  at  present  or  in  future  inter- 
ested in  this  industry,  whether  as  statesman,  capitalist,  manufacturer,  farmer,  laborer 
or  consumer. 

TIME  NECESSARY— THE  RISK  TO  CAPITAL. 

Beet  culture,  however,  cannot  be  learned  in  a  single  season.  It  is  high  farming, 
intensive  horticulture,  like  the  market  gardening  near  our  great  cities,  which  is  the 
result  of  fifty  years  of  experience.  Under  the  best  management  it  takes  from  two  to 
four  seasons  for  the  farmers  in  any  locality  to  learn  how  to  grow  beets  to  the  best 
advantage.  Until  this  is  done,  the  sugar  factory  is  not  assured  of  an  abundant  supply 
of  beets  of  proper  quality.  Meanwhile  the  immense  investment  is  at  risk— from 
$200,000  upward  in  each  factory,  and  at  best  the  factories  can  run  only  100  or  150  days 
during  the  year.  Experience  in  this  country  has  demonstrated  that  where  the  indus- 
try has  survived  this  first  stage,  it  has  in  every  case  become  well  established,  to  the 
satisfaction  and  profit  of  the  farmers,  laborers,  railroads  and  capitalists  interested  in 
the  business. 

WHAT  STANDS    IN    THE  WAY  OF  THE     AMERICAN  SUGAR     INDUSTRY. 

Mainly  European  competition.  Europe  is  now  sending  us  nearly  100  times  as 
much  beet  sugar  as  she  did  15  or  17  years  ago.  She  has  developed  her  beet-sugar 


THE  GREAT  BOILER  ROOM  OF  A  BEET  SUGAR  FACTORY. 

From  a  photograph  of  the  plant  at  Chino,  southern  California.    The  fuel  is  oil,  80,000  barrels  hetng  consumed  per  season 

to  operate  the  2,400  horse  power  engines. 


10  THE    SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

industry  by  a  liberal  system  of  direct  subsidies,  high  protection  and  export  bounties, 
until  the  European  beet-sugar  industry  has  practically  ruined  the  cane-sugar  industry 
of  the  tropics  and  monopolized  the  sugar  market  of  the  world.  To  complete  the 
destruction  of  the  American  sugar  industry,  or  at  least  to  prevent  the  further  devel- 
opment of  the  beet-sugar  business  in  this  country,  Germany  has  recently  increased 
its  export  bounty.  And  France  is  about  to  follow  suit,  thus  enabling  their  sugar  to  be 
sold  in  the  United  States  below  the  cost  of  production  in  this  country.  The  United 
States  is  supporting  the  sugar  industry  of  Europe  at  the  expense  of  the  American 
farmer. 

WHAT  IS  NEEDED 

is  a  reasonable  specific  duty  on  all  imported  sugar,  with  an  additional  discriminating 
duty  from  countries  paying  an  export  bounty,  equal  to  that  bounty.  Then  with  such 
aid  as  the  various  states  and  localities  interested  may  offer  to  secure  sugar  factories, 
the  beet-sugar  industry  could  be  put  on  its  feet  in  this  country,  within  a  very  few 
years. 

It  would  afford  farmers  the  new  and  profitable  crop  that  they  must  have. 
It  would  also  offer  a  new  market  for  labor  and  an  immense  business  to  machine  build- 
ers, railroads  and  others,  and  a  fair  return  on  the  capital  invested  in  the  business, 
and  it  would  distribute  among  these  people  the  100  million  dollars  that  are  now 
paid  annually  for  imported  sugar— a  billion  dollars  during  the  past  ten  years!  Amer- 
icans being  the  greatest  users  of  sugar  in  the  world,  its  consumption  here  has  doubled 
in  15  years  and  is  likely  to  increase  in  the  same  ratio  in  future.  Thus  by  1910,  if  the 
domestic  industry  supplies  the  home  market  as  it  should,  it  will  be  putting  into  the 
pockets  of  our  people  200  million  dollars  a  year  that  otherwise  would  be  sent  out  of 
the  country. 

We  want  to  divert  capital  from  further  investment  in  refineries  on  the  Atlantic 
const  to  refine  imported  raw  sugar,  and  induce  capital  to  invest  in  the  hundreds  of 
new  factories  that  will  be  required  to  work  up  the  amount  of  beets  and  cane  neces- 
sary to  supply  the  home  market  with  sugar.  To  build  and  equip  these  factories, 
and  to  supply  the  paraphernalia  incident  to  this  vast  industry,  means  an  investment 
of  $300, 000, 000  or  so. 

AMOUNT  OF  PROTECTION  NEEDED. 

Opinions  differ  as  to  the  precise  figure,  but  all  are  agreed  upon  the  points  made  in 
the  preceding  paragraph.  Also  that  the  new  tariff  should  go  into  effect  promptly,  so 
capital  and  agriculture  may  know  what  to  bank  on.  and  that  no  reciprocity  to  the 
detriment  of  sugar  should  be  enacted.  The  tariff  of  1883  imposed  a  duty  of  about  2c 
per  Ib  on  raw  sugar,  which  yielded  a  revenue  of  $54,000,000.  Some  such  rate,  with  a 
fraction  of  a  cent  per  Ib  bounty  on  domestic  sugar  (to  be  gradually  reduced)  to 
directly  encourage  it  and  to  protect  it  against  unscrupulous  competition  by  the  sugar 
trust,  would  doubtless  be  sufficient. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  table  below  (Table  D)  that  the  proposed  duty  in  the 
United  States  of  about  2c  per  Ib  on  the  best  grades  of  imported  raw  sugar  is  only  one- 
third  to  one-half  as  much  as  the  present  duties  on  sugar  imposed  by  European  coun- 
tries. It  is  this  high  protection,  coupled  with  direct  subsidies  and  export  bounties, 
which  has  brought  about  the  immense  development  of  the  beet-sugar  industry  on 


ECONOMIC    ASPECTS   OF   SUGAR.  11 

the  continent.  The  present  bounty  in  Germany  is  about  ic  per  Ib  on  all  sugar  pro- 
duced and  an  additional  export  bounty  of  over  ic  per  Ib  on  raw  and  more  than  ic  per 
Ib  on  refined  sugar.  Direct  bounties  paid  the  European  sugar  producer  in  1894 
amounted  to  more  than  $25,000,000. 

The  average  rate  of  duty  imposed  on  raw  sugar  by  the  eight  European  nations 
named  below  is  now  4.86c  per  Ib,  almost  as  much  as  the  United  States'  war  tariff  of  5c 
per  Ib.  The  most  that  has  been  suggested  for  American  sugar,  including  both  duty 
and  bounty,  is  only  one-half  the  present  European  duty. 

In  the  earlier  years  of  our  government  the  duty  on  sugar  varied  from  2i  to  5c  per 
Ib.  Of  late  years,  the  policy  of  the  United  States  toward  sugar  has  been  as  follows, 
and  the  present  duties  on  sugar  imposed  by  certain  foreign  countries  are  also  given : 
Table  D — RATES  OF  DUTY  ON  BEST  GRADES  OF  IMPORTED  SUGAR  (in  cents  per  Ib). 

UNITED  STATES.  PRESENT    DUTIES    IMPOSED  BY  OTHER  COUNTRIES. 

1861,  5  cents  per  pound,  Germany,  3.9  to  4.75  cents  per  pound, 

1862,  4  cents  per  pound,  Austria-Hungary,  3.9  to  4.11  cents  per  pound, 
1864,  5  cents  per  pound,  Belgium,  3.94  to  4.  36  cents  per  pound, 

1870,  4  cents  per  pound,  Holland,  4.8  cents  per  pound, 

1874,  5  cents  per  pound,  Russia,  6.6  to  8.88  cents  per  pound, 

1883,  2Vs  to  3V2  cents  per  pound,  Italy,  5.25  to  8.35  cents  per  pound, 

1890,  V2c  duty,  bounty  on  domestic  sugar  2c  per  Ib,       Spain,  4%  cents  on  foreign, 
1894,  40  per  cent  ad  valorem,  Spain,  2.94  cents  on  colonial, 

France,  6  to  7.45  cents  per  pound. 

The  highest  figures  tor  the  United  States  are  for  refined  sugar,  but  raws  constitute  the  bulk  of 
imports.  In  the  figures  for  foreign  countries  the  smaller  amount  is  for  raw  and  the  larger  amount 
for  refined  sugar. 

AS  TO  STATE  BOUNTIES. 

These  have  been  tried  in  Utah  and  Nebraska,  but  a  bounty  offered  by  the  state 
has  proved  to  be  an  ephemeral  thing.  It  has  lasted  only  from  one  to  three  years  and 
in  no  case  has  proven  to  be  perfectly  satisfactory  to  either  the  state  treasury,  the 
public,  or  the  farmers  or  manufacturers  directly  interested  in  the  sugar  industry. 
It  is  urged  against  state  bounties  that  they  give  an  artificial  stimulus  to  the  business 
that  is  not  conducive  to  substantial  development  or  to  the  best  results  in  field  or 
factory. 

The  general  opinion  favors  appropriate  protection  against  foreign  competition  for 
a  sufficient  term  of  years  to  give  our  domestic  industry  a  fair  chance.  The  investment 
required  is  so  large  that  capitalists  will  not  go  into  the  industry  unless  there  is  rea- 
sonable assurance  of  its  being  successful  for  a  long  term  of  years.  This  hinges  on 
protection  against  foreign  competition,  rather  than  upon  any  little  aid  for  a  year  or 
two  that  might  be  given  by  a  state  bounty. 

Moreover,  the  state  bounties  encourage  the  industry  in  one  state  of  course  more 
than  in  another.  Protection  or  direct  aid  in  the  form  of  bounties  should  be  national 
in  scope.  Then  each  and  every  state  will  be  on  the  same  footing  and  the  industry 
will  naturally  develop  along  substantial  lines  in  those  sections  that  offer  the  best  nat- 
ural inducements  to  its  permanent  success. 

WILL  PROTECTION   ENHANCE  THE  PRICE  OF  SUGAR  TO  DOMESTIC  CONSUMERS? 

No.  Recent  experience  and  the  present  status  of  the  industry  go  to  show  that 
with  proper  protection  there  will  be  such  an  increase  in  the  production  of  domestic 
sugar  that,  with  the  large  imports  which  will  continue,  the  market  will  be  so  well  sup- 


12  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

plied  as  not  to  materially  advance  prices.  It  is  possible  that  for  a  year  or  two  the  con- 
sumer may  not  be  able  to  get  within  from  one  to  two  pounds  as  much  sugar  for  a 
dollar  as  under  the  unprecedentedly  low  prices  of  the  past  year.  The  average  value 
of  vacuum-pan  Louisiana  sugar  during  the  period  covered  by  the  tariff  of  1883  was 
5.68c  per  Ib,  while  under  the  Wilson  bill  it  was  3.45c.  Adding  the  difference  between  the 
average  duty  in  1889,  2.02c,  and  the  present  average  duty  of  0.87c,  say  1.15c,  we  get 
4.6c  as  the  selling  price  under  the  proposed  rate  of  duty.  This  price  is  fully  one  cent 
below  the  price  prior  to  1890. 

In  no  market  of  Europe  where  the  5,000,000  tons  of  beet  sugar  are  produced  can  the 
retailer  procure  his  supply  of  consumable  sugar  so  cheaply.  It  appears  paradoxical 
that  this  very  sugar,  which  by  its  cheapness  in  outside  markets  breaks  down  the  value 
of  American  sugar  to  the  starving  point,  should  be  so  costly  at  home,  but  the  explana- 
tion is  easy.  These  countries  impose  a  heavy  tax  on  their  home  consumption  in  order 
to  pay  an  export  bounty  on  the  crop.  The  German  empire  this  year  will  produce 
some  2,000,000  tons  of  beet  sugar  and  consume  less  than  600,000  tons,  exporting  1,400,- 
000  tons.  In  Germany  each  factory  pays  a  license  of  from  $800  to  $2500,  according  to 
size,  and  a  tax  of  2.  Ic  per  Ib  on  all  sugar  sold  to  be  consumed  in  Germany. 

WHY  HAS  NOT  THE  AMERICAN   SUGAR  INDUSTRY  DEVELOPED  MORE  RAPIDLY? 

Because  when  the  sugar  beet  was  first  tried,  20  and  25  years  ago,  other  crops  paid 
so  much  better  that  farmers  did  not  have  the  patience  to  learn  how  to  grow  beets. 
The  first  factories  were  not  well  located  to  secure  an  abundant  supply  of  rich  beets. 
The  whole  thing  was  comparatively  new,  and  beets  were  of  poorer  quality  than  now. 
Then,  10  and  12  per  cent  of  sugar  in  the  beets  was  considered  fair;  now  any- 
thing below  12  per  cent  is  not  accepted  at  the  factory,  averages  of  14  to  15  per 
cent  over  large  areas  are  not  uncommon,  while  tests  of  18  to  24  per  cent  sugar  in 
American  beets  are  on  record.  The  beet  is  a  thoroughbred  that  improves  in  richness 
as  a  result  of  proper  inbreeding  and  care.  Another  powerful  obstacle  to  the  beet- 
sugar  industry  in  America  10  and  20  years  ago  was,  that  with  dollar  wheat  and  virgin 
land  free  of  cost,  other  crops  were  more  profitable  in  comparison  with  the  labor 
involved. 

With  sugar  cane,  the  industry  prior  to  the  war  was  conducted  by  slave  labor  and 
without  much  enterprise,  the  increase  in  slaves  being  an  element  of  the  profits.  The 
industry  was  destroyed  during  the  war.  It  took  20  years  thereafter  and  an  expendi- 
ture of  $21,000,000  to  rebuild  the  levees  and  reclaim  the  plantations,  and  it  was  not 
until  1878  that  Louisiana's  product  was  restored  to  the  figures  of  1844—115,000  tons. 
From  1878  to  1886  there  was  much  trouble  with  high  water  and  crevasses,  while  as 
early  as  1884  an  era  of  low  prices  set  in,  which  were  helped  by  a  reduced  scale  of 
duties.  Almost  any  other  industry  would  have  succumbed  to  such  adverse  influences, 
but  our  sugar  producers,  though  discouraged,  would  not  admit  defeat.  They  estab- 
lished an  experiment  station  to  learn  more  about  fertilizing  and  chemical  control  of 
sugarhouse  work,  changed  in  a  large  measure  to  the  central  factory  system— just  as 
the  dairy  people  have  done— improved  the  sugarhouse  equipment  and  by  1890  had 
doubled  the  crop  of  1878.  Then  came  the  "bounty"  period,  in  which  the  growth  of 
production  in  four  years  was  from  165,000  tons  to  324,000  tons.  Had  that  law  been 
kept  in  force  we  would,  at  that  rate,  have  produced  1,830,000  tons  in  1905  and  from 


14  THE    SUGAR    INDUSTRY. 

beet  root,  by  parity  of  reasoning,  some  480,000  would  have  been  produced— or  2,310-r- 
000  tons  of  sugar,  which  is  about  5  per  cent  over  what  we  now  consume. 

But  with  low  duties  and  lower  prices,  many  planters  could  not  meet  their  obliga- 
tions. An  idea  of  the  disaster  is  given  by  the  sale  of  Rosehill  plantation  of  1200 
acres  and  a  factory  whose  machinery  cost  over  $100,000,  which  was  sold  by  the  sheriff 
for  $15,000,  while  the  Marshfield  plantation  of  2000  acres  sold  for  $5500,  including 
stock  and  tools. 

Another  reason  why  the  beet-sugar  industry  did  not  develop  much  until  1890,  was 
that  the  United  States  department  of  agriculture,  discouraged  by  a  few  failures  or 
blind  to  the  merits  of  the  beet  root,  led  a  wild-goose  chase  after  sorghum.  The  pos- 
sibilities of  sorghum  are  not  denied,  but  the  practical  realities  of  cane  and  beets  are- 
such  as  to  eclipse  sorghum  for  commercial  purposes.  After  it  had  been  demon- 
strated that  sorghum  was  not  a  reliable  sugar  plant,  as  compared  with  sugar  cane  or 
the  beet  root,  government  spent  millions  of  money  and  years  of  time  upon  it.  Sor- 
ghum could  be  cheaply  raised  like  corn,  was  not  a  "back-bending  crop"  like  the  beet. 
The  American  Agriculturist  did  what  it  could  to  stem  the  sorghum  craze  by  show- 
ing what  the  beet-sugar  industry  was  doing  in  practice  compared  to  the  meager 
results  of  the  sorghum  theory,  but  it  took  years  of  bitter  and  costly  experience  on  the 
part  of  government  and  farmers  to  vindicate  our  position.  So  the  sorghum  craze,  fed 
from  national  and  state  treasuries,  swept  over  the  country  for  a  dozen  years. 

But  as  it  exploded,  more  work  was  done  with  sugar  beets,  until,  when  the  McKin- 
ley  law  was  enacted,  experience  had  pointed  out  the  way  to  the  success  that  has 
since  been  achieved.  But  hardly  had  a  few  beet-sugar  factories  been  established 
under  the  McKinley  act  before  its  repeal  was  ordered  by  the  people.  This  brought 
the  industry  to  a  standstill  until  the  prospect  of  a  change  in  administration,  the  abso- 
lute necessity  of  a  new  crop  to  relieve  agricultural  depression,  and  further  successful 
experience  with  existing  factories,  makes  the  time  ripe  for  a  grand  effort  to  supply 
the  American  market  with  American  sugar. 

FARMERS  MEAN  BUSINESS. 

Farmers  are  now  very  emphatic  in  this  demand.  During  the  past  sixty  days  farm- 
ers' organizations  have  been  founded  in  several  hundred  counties  to  advance  their 
interests  in  raising  sugar  beets  and  cane,  in  securing  factories  to  work  up  the  crop,  to 
obtain  needed  legislation  to  develop  the  industry  and  to  protect  it  against  the  trust. 
This  organization  is  now  growing  with  great  vigor.  Farmers  realize  what  the  sugar 
proposition  means  to  them.  They  are  organizing  to  co-operate  with  labor  and  capital 
to  establish  the  industry.  They  demand  whatever  reasonable  legislation  is  needed 
to  pave  the  way  for  such  establishment  of  sugar  factories.  They  will  reward  the 
political  party  that  stands  by  them  and  punish  their  representatives  who  go  back  on 
them.  They  care  more  for  their  bread  and  butter,  and  will  act  accordingly. 


The  American  Sugar  Growers'  Society* 

OBJECTS. 

1.  To  secure  for  American  farmers,  laborers  and  capitalists  the  American  market 
for  American-grown  sugar,  instead  of  having  the  American  market  supplied  with    the 


ECONOMIC   ASPECTS   OF   SUGAK.  15 

product  of  the  highly  protected  and  bounty-fostered  beet-sugar  industry  of  Europe, 
or  of  the  cane-sugar  industry  of  the  cheap-labor  countries  of  Africa  and  the  east. 

2.  To  put  into  the   pockets  of  the   American  people   the   $100,000,000  now   sent 
abroad  annually  for   imported   sugar — one   billion   dollars  every  ten  years.     A  sum 
which  within  a  dozen  years  or  so  may  be  $200,000,000  annually. 

3.  To  show  the  American  people  that  this  upbuilding  of  what  is  destined   to   be 
one  of  the  greatest  of  American  industries  and  one  of  the  most  beneficent  to  American 
agriculture,  can  be  done  without   injustice   to  others  and  without  unduly  advancing 
prices  to  consumers,  but  so  that  the  enormous  sums  now  sent  out  of  the  country  every 
year  may  be  distributed  among  our  own   farmers  and  others  engaged  in  cultivating 
the  thousands  of  acres  of  sugar  beets   and   cane,  and   in   operating   the   hundreds  of 
enormous  factories  required  to  supply  the  people  of  the  United  States  with  sugar. 

4.  These  results  to  be  aided  by  (1)  appropriate  tariff  legislation  to  off  set  foreign 
export  bounties  and  to  afford  reasonable  protection  against  foreign  competition ;  and 
(2)  by  whatever  encouragement  may  be  offered  by  the  respective  states  and  by  the 
localities  that  desire  to  secure  sugar  factories. 

5.  In  addition  to  these  objects,  the  American  Sugar  Growers'  Society,  through  its 
local  and  state  organizations,  will  encourage  farmers  to  become  experts   in  beet  cul- 
ture, will  act  as  a  medium  through  which  capitalists  and  others  who  wish  to  start  fac- 
tories may  reach  localities  that  want  factories,  and  will   in  every  proper,  reasonable 
and  legitimate  way  do  all  in  its  power  to  promote  the  best  development  of  our  domes- 
tic sugar  industry.     The  Society  will  resist  and  try  to  prevent  or  circumvent  any 
unjust  action  toward  the  industry  that  may  be  attempted  by  the  sugar  trust,  and  will 
do  its  utmost  to  secure  for  the  growers  of  beets  and  cane  the  fullest  measure  of  what- 
ever help  may  be  extended  to  the  industry  by  state  or  nation. 

ITS  PLAN  OF  WORK. 

This  is  a  non-secret,  non-partisan,  and  strictly  businesslike  organization  to  carry 
out  the  above  objects. 

It  consists  of  national,  state,  congress,  district  and  local  societies.  The  national 
or  American  Sugar  Growers'  Society  has  general  supervision  of  the  movement  and 
the  work  of  organization.  State  societies  afford  a  means  of  bringing  together  repre- 
sentatives from  local  and  district  societies  for  mutual  benefit  and  to  attend  to  state 
matters  affecting  the  sugar  industry.  The  local  society  is  the  unit,  and  it  may  cover 
one  or  more  townships  or  a  whole  county,  provided  that  any  question  over  conflicting 
jurisdiction  be  settled  by  the  national  office.  The  local  society  is  the  medium  for 
active  work  in  legislation,  in  experiments  in  the  culture  of  beets  or  cane,  in  dissemi- 
nating information,  in  securing  factories,  etc.  Each  local  society  is  entitled  to  one 
delegate  for  every  five  members  in  making  up  the  district  societies,  whose  territory  is 
bounded  by  the  limits  of  the  United  States  congress  district.  The  special  purpose  of 
the  congressional  district  society  is  to  enlighten  your  member  of  congress  upon  this 
subject,  also  both  United  States  senators  from  your  state,  and  to  make  them 
acquainted  with  your  wants  and  demands,  to  the  end  that  they  may  spare  no  effort 


16 


THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


in  congress,  to  secure  prompt  action  favorable  to  your  interests  as  present  or  prospec- 
tive producers  of  sugar  crops. 

OFFICERS  OF  THE    ORGANIZATION. 

President — R.  M.  ALLEN,  Ames,  Neb.  President  Nebraska  Beet  Sugar  Growers' 
Association. 

Vice  President — CHARLES  A.  FARWELL,  New  Orleans,  La.  President  United 
States  Cane  Growers'  Association. 

Treasurer— HERBERT  MYRICK,  52  Lafayette  Place,  New  York.  President  Orange 
Judd  Company,  and  editor  American  Agriculturist,  New  York,  and  Orange  Judd 
Farmer,  Chicago,  111. 

Secretary — B.  W.  SNOW,  Marquette  Building,  Chicago,  111.  Statistician  Orange 
Judd  Farmer. 

Executive  Committee— The  foregoing  and  one  vice  president  for  each  state. 


SOME  NEBRASKA  SUGAR  BEETS. 


PART  TWO. 


THE  CANE  SUGAR  INDUSTRY. 


BY  PROF.  W.  C  STUBBS, 


Director  Louisiana  sugar  experiment  station  at  Audubon  Park,  New  Orleans  ;  director  Louisiana  state 
experiment  station  at  Baton  Rouge,  director  of  the  North  Louisiana  experiment  station  at  Cal- 
houn,  etc,  etc. 


NOTE.— This  chapter  is  designed  to  give  a  clear  insight  into  this  great  industry  at  the  South,  but  elaborate  details  of 
culture  and  management  are  omitted,  because  the  industry  is  an  old  established  one,  and  these  matters  are  gener- 
ally known  to  those  now  engaged  in  or  likely  to  enter  into  the  cane  sugar  industry.— [H.  M. 


PART  TWO. 


THE  CANE  SUGAR  INDUSTRY. 


CHARLES  A.  FARWELL, 

First  vice  president  American  Sugar  Growers'  Society, 
President  United  States  Cane  Planters'  Association, 
New  Orleans,  La.  Having  been  in  the  sugar  business 
all  his  life,  and  possessing  the  confidence  of  the  whole 
sugar  interests  of  the  South,  Mr.  Farwell  is  a  type  of 
the  men  who  are  doing  so  much  to  develop  this  and 
other  great  industries  in  the  South  and  throughout 
the  country. 


BRIEF  HISTORY  of  this 
industry  is  given  on  Page 
12,  from  which  it  will  be 
seen  that  it  is  a  very  old 
industry,  although  its  prin- 
cipal development  dates  from  about  1885. 
Cane  was  originally  introduced  into  Lou- 
isiana by  the  Jesuits  from  San  Domingo 
in  1757,  but  the  ribbon  cane  now  generally 
planted  was  introduced  via  Georgia  from 
the  island  of  St  Eustatius.  There  are 
many  varieties  of  cane  and  these  are  be- 
ing daily  increased  by  additions  obtained 
from  the  planting  of  the  true  seed  of  the 
cane.  The  Louisiana  sugar  experiment 
station  at  Audubon  park,  New  Orleans, 
is  experimenting  with  over  100  varieties; 
of  these,  however,  only  two  kinds  are  in 
general  use  in  the  state — the  Purple  or 
Black  Java,  and  the  Purple  Striped  Rib- 
bon cane.  A  few  planters  grow  a  white 
variety  known  as  the  Light  Java.  These 
varieties  wrere  introduced  about  the  year 
1825  and  have  become  so  thoroughly  ac- 
climated to  our  soil  and  climate  that  they 
are  now  almost  universally  used. 


THE  AREA  CAPABLE  OF  GROWING 
SUGAR  CANE 

is  far  larger  than  has  been  supposed.  The 

sugar  cane  belt  can  be  extended  along  the  Gulf  coast  from  a  point  near  Savannah, 
Ga,  running  almost  parallel  to  the  coast  line,  to  the  northern  extremity  of  Louisiana 
and  on  through  Texas  to  the  Rio  Grande  river.  If  irrigation  could  be  secured,  a  por- 
tion of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  could  also  be  utilized  for  this  crop. 

The  area  of  cane  in  Louisiana  for  1896-7  is  about  300,000  acres.     This  amount  can 


£Q  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

oe  increased  tenfold.     In  fact,  I  may  almost  say,  without  fear  of   contradiction, 
there  is  hardly  an  acre  m  Louisiana  that  is  not  available  for  sugar  cane  under  'i 
gent  culture. 

PECULIARITY  OF  THE   CROP. 

Cane  culture  has  one  peculiar  feature,  not  possessed  by  hardly  any  other  plant 
cultivated  in  the  United  States.  The  large  amount  of  cane  necessary  to  plant  an  acre 
<from  four  to  six  tons)  makes  it  necessary  to  go  slowly  in  the  establishment  of  a  large 
plantation.  The  usual  method  is  to  buy  a  carload  or  two  of  cane,  plant  a  few  acres 
-and  then  use  the  entire  crop  of  the  next  year  in  planting  a  larger  acreage,  and  then 
the  third  year  the  entire  crop  in  planting  the  plantation.  In  this  way,  it  may  be  said 
to  require  three  years  to  get  into  the  cane  culture  upon  a  full  scale.  For  this  reason, 
the  increasing  and  decreasing  of  a  cane  crop  must  be  done  gradually,  and  is  unlike 
the  beets,  which  can  be  increased  or  decreased  annually  at  the  will  of  the  planter. 

PRESENT   OBSTACLES  TO  THE   CANE  INDUSTRY. 

There  is  no  doubt  the  area  of  cane  will  be  greatly  extended  in  the  near  future  if 
we  can  receive  substantial  assurances  of  a  permanent  support  against  foreign  compe- 
tition. At  present,  capitalists  hesitate  to  invest  in  an  industry  the  prices  of  whose 
product  are  more  or  less  influenced  by  a  changeable  congress  at  Washington.  A  per- 
manent tariff  is  desired,  in  order  that  we  may  know  and  publish  to  the  world  what 
the  profits  will  be  under  such  a  system.  Having  determined  the  profits,  it  will  be 
easy  (if  the  profits  be  remunerative),  to  secure  capital  to  develop  the  large  areas 
adaptable  to  the  sugar  cane. 

THE  GREAT  TROUBLE  IN  THE  SUGAR  CANE  INDUSTRY 

is  the  large  cost  of  the  machinery  necessary  to  economically  manufacture  the  cane.  We 
have  reached  that  point  in  the  development  of  this  industry,  that  the  larger  the  fac- 
tory the  more  economical  the  manufacture  of  cane  into  sugar.  There  seems  to  be  no 
limit  in  the  expansion  of  the  sugarhouse.  We  have  several  in  this  state  that  are  now 
working  as  high  as  from  1000  to  1500  tons  of  cane  per  day.  This  gives  a  factory  the 
capacity  of  working  60,000  to  70,000  tons  of  cane  in  a  season  and  some  are  able  to  work 
up  even  100,000  tons. 

The  clientele  attached  to  such  a  sugarhouse  is  but  little  larger  or  more  expen- 
sive than  one  for  a  sugarhouse  taking  off  200  to  300  tons  per  day.  In  these  days  of 
close  competition  and  small  profit,  the  large  sugarhouse  will  survive,  while  the  small 
one  must  inevitably  surrender.  Hence,  in  establishing  central  factories,  it  is  now 
the  purpose  to  build  as  large  as  possible  so  as  to  make  the  manufacturing  expense  of 
cane  as  low  as  possible  per  ton. 

To  build  and  equip  such  a  factory  as  this  requires  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dol- 
lars. These  factories  run  only  sixty  to  ninety  days  in  a  year,  hence  requiring  the 
highest  intelligence  in  every  department  to  make  the  profit  in  these  sixty  or  ninety 
days  necessary  to  pay  good  interest  upon  the  investment.  The  running  of  this  sugar- 
house  machinery  night  and  day,  from  start  to  finish,  often  hurried  by  the  advent  of 
a  disastrous  frost,  causes  a  wear  and  tear  which  would  not  occur  if  it  could  be  kept 
running  regularly  throughout  the  year,  and  at  a  regular  rate  of  speed. 

Moreover,  while  the  sugarhouse  is  idle  during  nine  or  ten  months  of  the  year, 
the  outfit  depreciates  in  value,  for  idleness  may  be  as  injurious  to  machinery  as  wear 


22  THE   SUGAK   INDUSTRY. 

and  tear.  Hence  the  depreciation  account  of  a  sugarhouse  is  a  very  large  item.  It 
will  be  seen  from  this  how  different  this  industry  is  from  running  a  refinery  on  raw 
sugar  the  year  through,  and  how  different  it  is  from  other  kinds  of  manufacturing. 

THE   SOIL  BEST  ADAPTED  TO   SUGAR  CANE 

is  a  sandy  loam,  rich  in  vegetable  matter.  The  cane  does  not  seed,  and  since  we 
grow  it  exclusively  for  sugar,  the  draft  upon  the  soil  is  not  heavy,  provided  the  fod- 
der and  tops,  the  bagasse  from  the  mill,  and  the  ashes  from  the  sugarhouse,  are  all 
carefully  returned  to  the  soil.  But  to  make  a  crop  profitable,  a  large  amount  of  ton- 
nage must  be  secured.  It  is  nothing  unusual  to  secure  a  crop  of  40  to  45  tons  of 
stripped  cane  per  acre  (though  20  tons  is  a  fair  average  over  a  large  area).  Forty 
tons  means  fully  70  tons  of  green  matter  growing  upon  one  acre  of  land;  and  while 
the  per  cent  of  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  is  comparatively  small,  the 
aggregate  of  these  three  ingredients  removed  from  the  soil  by  such  a  crop  is  large. 

The  cane  seems  to  be  specially  adapted  to  soils  of  an  alluvial  character  on  account 
of  the  tendency  of  these  soils  to  make  weed.  The  "raging  fertility"  of  such  soils 
has  to  be  dampened  by  the  growth  of  just  such  crops  as  sugar  cane,  which  is  a 
gigantic  grass,  before  it  can  be  adapted  to  the  growth  of  cereals  or  other  crops  raised 
exclusively  for  the  seed.  Hence,  the  alluvial  lands  of  Louisiana  are  peculiarly  and 
singularly  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  cane. 

THE  SOIL   IS  USUALLY  PREPARED 

in  the  following  manner :  Thoroughly  broken  with  two  to  four  horse  plows,  thrown 
up  in  beds  six  to  seven  feet  in  width,  the  middles  deeply  plowed  and  opened,  and  at 
intervals  of  short  distances,  what  are  termed  quarter  drains,  running  at  right  angles 
to  the  rows,  are  cut,  leading  into  the  ditches  so  that  excessive  rainfalls  may  be  car- 
ried off  without  injury  to  the  soil.  This  plowing  is  usually  done  in  the  fall; — though 
sometimes,  from  necessity,  it  is  forced  into  the  spring. 

PLANTING. 

After  the  soil  is  well  prepared,  the  rows  are  opened  with  a  double  mold  board 
plow,  and  the  canes  are  deposited  in  this  furrow — two  to  three  continuous  canes  along 
the  whole  length  of  the  row.  These  canes  are  then  cut  with  a  cane  knife  to  adjust 
them  to  the  ow,  and  covered  either  with  a  plow,  a  cultivator,  or  with  a  hoe.  The 
planting  is  done  any  time  between  September  and  April.  It  is  usually  done  by  hand, 
though  we  have  one  or  two  cane-planting  machines  that  have  been  experimenting  in 
this  line.  After  the  cane  has  been  planted,  from  each  joint  where  is  an  "eye," 
springs  a  sprout.  To  assist  this  sprout  in  reaching  the  surface  early  in  the  spring, 
it  is  customary  to  scrape  off  the  excess  of  dirt  which  was  placed  on,  the  cane  in  the 
fall  or  early  spring  in  order  to  protect  it  against  the  cold. 

CULTURE. 

After  the  cane  has  obtained  a  "stand, "  it  is  then  cultivated,  largely  after  the 
order  of  corn,  care  being  taken  to  preserve  always  the  cane  upon  a  ridge  so  that  the 
excessive  rainfalls  of  summer  may  be  easily  disposed  of.  It  is  usually  laid  by  in  June 


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24  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

or  early  in  July.     After  "lay  by,"  the   cane   grows   very  rapidly,  particularly  if   fre- 
quent showers  at  short  intervals  conspire  with  warm  weather. 

After  the  cane  is  planted  we  usually  get  two  crops,  sometimes  three,  from  the 
same  planting.  The  first  crop  is  *usually  termed  the  "plant  cane,"  and  the  second 
and  third  "first  stubble"  or  rattoons.  Cane  is  planted  in  this  state  so  as  to  secure  a 
continuous  stand  at  maturity  of  from  three  to  five  stalks  to  the  running  foot.  The 
stalks  usually  weigh  from  2  to  4  Ibs  apiece.  Like  all  grasses,  cane  tillers  or  suckers 
very  greatly,  and  during  the  summer  months  many  of  these  suckers  or  tillers  perish. 
Hence  the  necessity  of  not  planting  cane  too  thick  or  too  thin.  If  planted  thickly,  it 
will  exhaust  its  energies  in  trying  to  sucker — a  natural  quality  which  seerns  to  be  exer- 
cised. If  planted  too  thinly,  the  field  will  be  filled  at  harvest  with  a  large  proportion 
of  immature  suckers,  low  in  sugar. 

HARVESTING. 

In  Louisiana  the  general  harvest  begins  in  October  and  lasts  till  January.  In  trop- 
ical countries  grinding  does  not  begin  before  January  and  usually  lasts  till  June  or 
July.  In  Louisiana,  on  account  of  the  severity  of  our  winter,  cane  must  be  harvested 
in  the  fall  and  winter  or  be  killed.  It  is  therefore  only  about  eight  or  nine  months 
old  when  worked  in  the  sugarhouse.  In  tropical  countries  it  is  frequently  fifteen 
and  sometimes  eighteen  months  old  when  harvested.  Hence  the  superiority  of  tropic- 
al canes  in  sucrose  over  those  grown  in  the  southern  part  of  this  country. 

In  the  latitude  of  southern  Louisiana,  we  make  a  crop  every  year,  while  in  the 
tropics  only  two  crops  are  made  in  three  years.  Our  less  yield  per  acre  than  in  the 
tropics  is  therefore  somewhat  made  up.  But,  per  contra,  in  the  tropics,  they  only 
plant  cane  once  in  four  to  six  years,  while  we  must  plant  every  other  year. 

ROTATION  OF  CROPS. 

In  Louisiana  the  regular  rotation  of  cane  is  as  follows:  Cane,  two  or  three  years, 
and  then  followed  with  corn,  sown  broadcast  at  lay  by  with  cowpeas  (usually  the  clay 
variety),  and  the  entire  mass  of  vines  and  stalks  turned  under  in  August  or  Septem- 
ber, and  replanted  in  cane. 

HOW  TO   START   THE  CANE   SUGAR  INDUSTRY. 

A  community  can  experiment  to  demonstrate  what  it  can  do  with  sugar  cane  in 
this  way : 

Let  each  individual  plant  sugar  cane  on  a  small  area  and  manufacture  it  on  a 
small  scale,  with  horse  mills  and  open  evaporators,  according  to  the  old-fashioned  sys- 
tem. In  this  way,  the  saccharine  content  of  their  cane  and  the  average  available 
tonnage  per  acre  can  be  established.  Then,  they  can  present  to  the  commercial  world 
a  valid  argument  to  enlist  capital  in  a  factory.  The  average  yield  being  say  20  tons 
per  acre,  5000  acres  would  be  required  to  furnish  the  maximum  crop  of  100,000  tons- 
that  can  be  worked  up  in  a  single  season  by  a  modern  factory  of  large  size.  Certainly 
nothing  less  than  2500  acres  under  cane  each  year  would  answer  for  a  modern 
factory. 

The  Louisiana  experiment  station  at  Baton  Eouge  has  published  a  bulletin  (No. 
5)  giving  full  directions  about  sugar  making  on  a  small  scale,  which  also  gives  direc- 


26  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

tions  for  culture  of  the  cane  in  a  small  way.     A  copy  of  it  will   be   sent   free  to  any- 
one who  applies  to  Baton  Rouge  for  it  in  person  or  by  mail. 

The  difficulties  in  securing  a  central  factory  for  working  up  sugar  cane  are 
dependent  entirely  upon  the  slowness  with  which  sugar  cane  plantations  can  be 
established.  Cane  plantations  must  be  established  before  the  factory  will  be  secured, 
and  farmers  are  slow  to  establish  a  crop  which  requires  three  years  of  work  and 
patience,  unless  they  have  "an  assurance  doubly  assured"  of  a  factory. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  MANUFACTURE. 

Cane   is    hauled    from    the  field  and  dumped  alongside  a  moving  platform,  which 


SUGARHOUSE    ON   ADELINE    PLANTATION,    FRANKLIN,  LA. 

This  plant  is  owned  and  operated  by  the  Oxiiard  family,  who  are  also  interested  in  the  beet  sujrar 
factories  at  Norfolk  and  Grand  Island, 'Nebraska,  and  Chino,  California.  Like  the  latter  plant,  the 
Adeline  sngarhouse  has  all  modern  Improvements.  This  is  the  only  instance  we  know  of  in  the 
United  States  in  which  the  comparative  merits  of  the  cane  and  beet  have  been  closely  compared  for 
a  series  of  yeais. 

conveys  it  to  the  mill,  and  drops  it,  end  on,  into  a  chute  which  abuts  upon  the  first 
mill — generally  a  three-roller  mill,  giving  two  pressures.  Thence  a  conveyor  takes 
the  crushed  cane  to  a  second  mill,  where  it  gets  a  final  squeezing  and  is  ejected  in  a 
pretty  dry  state  (called  "bagasse").  This  is  conveyed  by  a  third  carrier  to  the 
bagasse  furnace,  wherein  it  is  consumed  as  fuel  and  supplies  steam  power  and 
steam  heat  to  the  sugar  house. 

Or,  the  cane  may  be  cut  up  into  small  pieces  by  specially  designed  knives  and 
carried  into  large  cast-iron  cells  known  as  diffusers.  Here  they  are  treated  by  the 
diffusion  process,  as  described  later  on  in  the  chapter  on  manufacture  of  sugar  from 
beets. 

The  juice,  as  it  runs  from  the  mill,  is  strained  and  limed  and  passes  into  the  clari- 
fiers,  where  the  temperature  is  raised  and  the  lighter  impurities  come  to  the  surface 


ECONOMIC   ASPECTS   OF   SUGAR. 


and  are  skimmed  off,  while  the  heavier  go  to  the  bottom,  and  the  clear  juice  is  drawn 
off  and  sent  to  the  boiling-down  apparatus,  double  or  triple  effect.  Here  it  is  con- 
centrated into  a  syrup,  again  treated  to 
remove  impurities,  and  then  goes  to  the 
vacuum  pan,  where  it  is  boiled  to  grain. 
The  contents  of  the  pan  are  then  sent  to 
the  centrifugal  machines,  which  separate 
the  sugar  from  the  molasses,  and  the 
barreling  of  the  sugar  completes  the 
cycle  of  operations. 

A  second  crop  of  crystals,  of  lower 
grade,  is  made  from  this  molasses,  and 
its  molasses  is  the  final  by-product.  The 
scums  and  settlings  are  passed  through 
filter  presses  and  quite  a  quantity  of 
sugar  recovered  from  them. 

A  sugarhouse  turning  out  one  ton 
of  sugar  per  hour  will  require  about 

CANE   STUBBLE   DIGGER.  90  men»  skilled  and  unskilled,    from    the 

chemist  to  the  trash  boy. 


CULTIVATOR    FOR    CANE. 

QUALITY  AND  GRADE  OF  PRODUCT. 

The  product  from  such  a  modern  sugarhouse  is  called  "centrifugal"  sugar,  as  con- 
trasted with  sugar  made  by  the  old-fashioned,  open-kettle  process,  which  is  known  as 


28  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

"open-kettle"  sugar.  By  the  latter  system,  the  juice  of  the  cane  is  evaporated  in 
four  large  iron  kettles  arranged  in  a  line.  The  juice,  after  being  sulphurized,  is  drawn 
into  the  first  or  Grand  kettle,  where  it  is  limed,  heated  and  the  scums  removed.  It  is 
then  drawn  into  the  second  or  Flambeau  kettle,  where  it  is  brushed  and  cleaned,  then 
passed  to  the  third  or  Syrup  kettle,  where  it  is  further  brushed,  thence  passed  into 
the  Batterie,  where  it  is  reduced  to  the  granulating  point.  It  is  then  dipped  out  into 
coolers  and  run  into  large  strainers,  which  allow  the  molasses  to  drain  off.  The 
resulting  "open-kettle"  sugar  is  then  ready  for  the  refinery,  and  constitutes  what  was 
formerly  known  as  brown  sugar,  but  very  little  of  it  now  reaches  the  market  until 
after  it  is  refined. 

The  commercial  grades  of  these  two  kinds  of  sugar:  Open-kettle  sugars  are  raw 
and  unrefined,  the  name  of  each  grade,  beginning  with  the  lightest  color,  is  as  follows: 
—Choice,  Strict  Prime,  Prime,  Fully  Fair,  Good  Fair,  Fair,  Good  Common,  Com- 
mon, and  Inferior. 

The  best  grades  of  centrifugal  sugars  are  almost  as  good  in  quality,  appearance 
and  saccharine  strength  as  the  best  grades  of  refined  sugar  resulting  from  the  refining 
processes  employed  in  the  very  extensive  refineries,  most  of  which  are  operated  by 
the  "sugar  trust."  The  best  grade  of  centrifugal  sugar  is  known  as  Plantation  Granu- 
lated, and  the  other  commercial  grades  are  graded  according  to  appearance,  color,  etc, 
as  follows :  Plantation  Granulated,  Off  Granulated,  Choice  White,  Off  White,  Gray 
White,  Confectioners'  Yellow,  Choice  Yellow,  Prime  Yellow,  Off  Yellow,  Seconds. 


VACUUM   PAN, 
At  the  Lehi,  Utah,  beet  sugar  factory. 


PART  THREE. 


THE  BEET  SUGAR  INDUSTRY. 


Embodying  the  actual  results  of  all  American  beet  sugar  factories,  the  methods  of  the  most  successful 

practical  beet  growers  in  all  parts  of  America,  and  the  lessons  acquired  by  the  scientific 

work  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  (Dr.  Harvey  W. 

Wiley,  Chief  of  Division  of  Chemistry),  and  of  the  various 

State  agricultural  experiment  stations. 


BY  HERBERT  MYRICK. 


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THE  BEET  SUGAR  INDUSTRY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

WHAT   HAS  BEEN  ACCOMPLISHED   IN  AMERICA. 

The  first  efforts  toward  producing  sugar  from  the  beet  in  this  country  were  made 
near  Philadelphia  in  1830,  without   success.     Eight  years    afterward,  David  L.  Child 

made  a  crude  attempt  at  Northampton, 
Mass,  the  beets  averaging  6  per  cent,  of 
sugar.  In  1863  the  Gennert  Brothers,  from 
Germany,  established  a  factory  at  Chats- 
worth,  Illinois,  a  location  illy  chosen,  it  is 
said,  in  soil  and  climate.  After  struggling 
for  several  years,  the  factory  was  removed 
to  Freeport,  111,  and  later  to  Black  Hawk, 
Sauk  county,  Wis,  where  it  was  started  as 
a  co-operative  enterprise.  From  Black 
Hawk  a  portion  of  the  machinery,  at  least, 
was  removed  to  California.  In  all  of  the 
latter  instances,  there  was  more  or  less 
inefficiency  in  factory  management,  but  the 
chief  difficulty  was  the  lack  of  interest  on 
the  part  of  farmers,  and  their  failure  to 
furnish  sufficient  beets.  The  quality  of  the 
beets  was  also  very  inferior.  Even  in 
California's  early  days,  it  was  several  years 
before  they  learned  the  proper  stage  of 
maturity  at  which  to  harvest  the  crop. 
Only  an  elaborate  account  of  all  these  early 
efforts  could  give  an  insight  into  the  trials 
and  disappointments  they  involved,  but 
the  lessons  of  this  bitter  and  costly  ex- 
perience have  been  made  the  most  of,  and 
paved  the  way  for  the  successes  of  the  past 
half-dozen  years.  We  should  not  forget 
to  honor  the  pioneers  in  this  industry.  About  1871  Messrs  Bonesteel  &  Otto  erected 
a  small  factory  at  Fond  du  Lac,  which,  after  making  some  sugar,  was  dismantled  and 


FOUNDER  OF  AMERICA'S  BEET-SUGAR 
INDUSTRY. 

This  is  not  too  much  to  say  of  Mr  Henry  T.  Oxnard, 
president  of  the  beet-sugar  companies  operating  facto- 
ries at  Norfolk,  Grand  Island  and  Chino.  He  organized 
the  American  Beet  Sugar  Manufacturers'  Association, 
and  has  been  the  head  and  front  of  the  development  of 
the  beet-sugar  industry  in  the  United  States  as  a  com- 
mercial enterprise.  See  pages  34-35. 


THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


the   machinery  removed  to  California.     Late  in  the  '70's,    bedt-sugar    factories  were 
established  at  Portland,  Me,  Franklin,  Mass,  one  in  New  Jersey,  and  another  in  Dela- 

ware.     In  California,    the  Alvarado    plant   was 

established  in  1870,  and  one  at  Sacramento  in 
1873,  and  one  a  distance  below  that  city  at 
Istleton  in  1874  or  '75.  The  two  latter  soon 
failed,  and  an  attempt  at  Los  Angeles,  along  in 
1878-9,  never  amounted  to  anything. 

ALL,  THESE  EARLY  ATTEMPTS  FAILED 

for  the  reasons  stated  on  Page  12  and  also  be- 
cause at  that  time  other  crops  were  so  much 
more  profitable  that  farmers  would  not  grow 
beets,  in  the  culture  of  which  they  were  wholly 
ignorant.  The  then  high-priced  lands  of  the 
east,  with  the  expensive  manuring  and  labor 
involved  in  the  crop,  did  not  make  sugar  beets 
profitable  with  farmers.  The  factories,  in  the 
east  at  least,  were  not  located  so  as  to  secure  a 
large  supply  of  beets  from  the  immediate 
neighborhood,  and  high  freights  cut  down  the 
farmers'  returns.  The  factories  were  compar- 
atively small,  and  with  a  limited  supply  of  beets 
of  uneven  or  inferior  quality,  their  operating 
expenses  left  no  margin  of  profit. 

Later,  attempts  were  made  to  establish  the 
industry  in  Canada,  and  a  factory  was  established 
at  Berthierville,  Quebec,  and  another  at  Farn- 
ham,  Quebec,  but  the  French  Canadians  did 
not  have  sufficient  enterprise'to  grow  the  beets, 
and  with  mismanagement  of  the  factory,  the 
industry  languished  in  spite  of  a  small  subsidy 
from  government.  The  Berthierville  plant  was 
removed  to  Eddy,  New  Mexico,  in  1896,  and 
the  Farnham  outfit  to  Eome,  New  York,  in 
1897.  The  Dominion  government  encouraged 
the  industry  by  a  direct  subsidy  of  (we  believe) 
one  cent  per  Ib,  but  it  was  not  continued  long 
enough  to  overcome  the  indisposition  of  farmers 
to  raise  the  beets,  although  the  Farnham  enter- 
prise got  $44,000  from  this  source  in  the  years 
1892-3,  and  Berthierville  $41,000  in  the  years 
'95-6. 

AN  EXCEPTION—HONOR  TO  WHOM  HONOR  IS  DUE. 

The  factory  at  Alvarado,  California,  started 
in  1870,  is  the  first  sugar  factory  which 


A  TYPICAL    SUGAR   BEET. 

This  beet  was  selected  for  Illustration  herein  from 
a  lot  of  57  tons  of  "mother  beets"  chosen  for  seed- 
growlng  purposes  by  the  Utah  Sugar  Co.  The 
above  engraving  Is  just  half  size.  The  original 
beet  was  13  Inches  long,  exclusive  of  an  Inch  or 
two  broken  off  the  tip.  It  weighed  28  ounces  and 
contained  17  %  sugar,  of  84  purity.  For  seed  prow- 
ing,  the  top  Is  left  as  shown,  but  for  the  factory, 
the  butts  of  stems  and  woody  matter  forming  the 
oval  top  are  cut  off  square  and  clean. 


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34  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

has  continued  its  existence  to  the  present  time.  Its  machinery  came  originally 
from  the  failures  in  Illinois  and  Wisconsin.  The  Alvarado  enterprise  struggled  along 
for  years,  while  the  farmers  were  learning  how  to  grow  beets,  and  while  the  quality 
of  beets  was  being  improved, and  in  the  face  of  the  competition  -of  free  sugar  from 
Hawaii.  Too  much  credit  cannot  be  extended  to  E.  H.  Dyer,  and  his  -fialffrer,  Edward 
F.  Dyer  and  others,  for  their  persistent  work  at  Alvarado. 

Credit  is  also  due  Dr  C.  A.  Goessman,  an  expert  who  came  over  from  Germany 
in  1857,  as  chemist  to  a  sugar  refinery  at  Philadelphia  and  became  chemist  to  the 
Massachusetts  agricultural  college  at  Amherst  ten  years  later.  With  funds  furnished 
by  that  institution,  Goessman  conducted  the  first  really  scientific  work  in  sugar-beet 
culture  in  this  country,  1873-6.  This  was  followed  by  work  with  sorghum,  1870-9, 
which  he  had  been  studying  since  his  first  report  upon  it  to  the  New  York  state  agri- 
cultural society  in  1861.  Goessman's  results  demonstrated  the  practicability  of  the 
sugar  beet,  and  also  showed  the  comparative  weakness  of  sorghum  as  a  commercial 
sugar  plant.  Had  his  teachings  been  followed,  the  present  condition  of  our  American 
beet-sugar  industry  might  have  been  reached  ten  or  twenty  years  earlier. 

Liberal  recognition  is  also  due  Lewis  S.  Ware,  M  E,  editor  of  the  Sugar  Beet,, 
also  Henry  Carey  Baird  &  Co,  its  publishers,  by  whom  that  journal  has  been  con- 
ducted for  17  years,  largely  as  a  labor  of  love  and  as  a  patriotic  duty  in  aid  of  this, 
great  industry  that  is  now  on  the  threshold  of  a  mighty  growth. 

Dr  H.  W.  Wiley,  chief  of  the  division  of  chemistry,  United  States  department 
of  agriculture,  when  in  charge  of  the  sorghum  work,  tried  to  make  that  enterprise 
a  success  if  possible,  but  as  early  as  1884  he  investigated  the  sugar  beet  in  California 
and  reported  favorably  upon  it.  In  1883,  he  urged  that  stations  be  established  to 
experiment  with  beet,  cane  and  sorghum,  but  Dr  Wiley  says  it  was  not  until  Sec- 
retary Rusk's  administration  (1888-' 92)  that  he  was  allowed  to  carry  out  his  plans.. 
Then  the  beet  station  was  established  at  Schuyler,  Nebraska,  for  sorghum  at  Sterling, 
Kansas,  and  for  cane  at  Runnymede,  Florida,  later  for  all  sugar  plants  at  Union 
Island,  California.  These  were  all  abolished  by  Secretary  Morton,  the  Florida  sta- 
tion going  last  in  1895.  Dr  Wiley's  work  is  embraced  in  Bulletin  27,  prepared  in  1889. 

While  the  gentlemen  above  named  and  many  others  not  mentioned,  did  much 
in  the  early  clays  of  the  industry  to  promote  it,  the  real  impetus  given  to  the  beet 
sugar  industry  as  a  practical  commercial  enterprise  in  the  United  States  dates  from 
the  time  the  Oxnards  took  it  up  late  in  the  'SO's.  After  large  experience  in  the  cane 
sugar  and  sugar  refining  interests  in  the  United  States,  Mr  Henry  T.  Oxnard  made  a 
special  study  of  beet  sugar  abroad,  and  became  convinced  of  its  possibilities  here.  With 
characteristic  energy,  enthusiasm  and  ability,  Mr  Oxnard  spared  neither  labor  nor  money 
in  conducting  a  grand  campaign  of  education,  in  the  course  of  which  he  has  expended 
largely  of  his  private  fortune.  He  was  also  the  organizer  of  the  American 
beet  sugar  manufacturers'  association  in  1891,  and  as  its  president  has  served 
without  salary  and  mainly  at  his  own  expense.  Mr  Henry  T.  Oxnard  has 
backed  up  his  faith  with  immense  investments  in  sugar  factories,  by  giving 
away  many  tons  of  beet  seed,  and  is  to-day  the  recognized  head  of  the  industry 
in  the  United  States.  With  the  aid  of  his  brother  James  G.  Oxnard  (a  sugar  engineer 
of  large  practical  experience),  James  G.  Hamilton  and  others,  the  favorable  legislation 


36  THE    SUGAR    INDUSTRY. 

of  1890  was  obtained,  and  the  great  beet-sugar  factories  at  Chino,  Grand  Island  and 
Norfolk  were  built  by  different  companies,  of  all  of  which  Mr  Henry  T.  Oxnard  is 
president.  During  1896-7  he  has  been  indefatigable  in  political  circles  and  at  Wash- 
ington to  secure  a  fair  chance  for  the  industry  against  foreign  competition.  He  has 
now  organized  a  construction  company  through  which  to  give  the  full  benefit  of  his 
experience,  and  of  the  body  of  trained  experts  associated  with  him,  to  those  who 
contemplate  building  or  operating  beet-sugar  factories. 

RECENT   DEVELOPMENT. 

Kesults  at  Alvarado  finally  attracted  the  attention  of  Glaus  Spreckels,  the  Hawai- 
ian cane-sugar  king.  Thoroughly  informed  upon  the  beet-sugar  industry  in  his 
native  country  (Germany),  Mr  Spreckels  realized  three  things:  (1)  That  it  was  only 
a  question  of  time  before  the  United  States  would  abrogate  the  one-sided  reciprocity 
treaty  with  Hawaii  that  was  making  him  immensely  wealthy;  (2)  that  there  was  no 
reason  why  this  country  should  not  produce  its  own  sugar,  California  offering  ideal 
advantages;  and  (3)  that  in  the  battle  for  supremacy  the  beet  is  destined  to  win. 
With  his  usual  keen  business  judgment,  Mr  Spreckels  erected  a  small  beet-sugar  fac- 
tory at  Watsonville,  which  turned  out  about  1000  Ions  of  sugar  from  beets  grown  in" 
1888.  The  plant  was  enlarged  in  time  to  profit  by  the  McKinley  bounty,  and  has 
gone  on  with  uninterrupted  success  until  it  converted  into  sugar  more  than  160,000 
tons  of  beets  grown  in  1896. 

The  Oxnards  established  the  great  beet-sugar  factory  at  Chino,  Cal,  in  time  to 
work  up  the  1891  crop,  and  in  the  campaign  of  1895  it  handled  83,000  tons  of  beets. 
The  Oxnards  had  the  sugar  factory  at  Grand  Island,  Nebraska,  done  in  time  to  work 
up  4500  tons  of  beets  grown  in  1890,  and  it  converted  about  25,000  tons  of  the  '96  crop 
of  beets  into  sugar.  The  same  interests  built  the  factory  at  Norfolk,  Nebraska,  which 
worked  8000  tons  in  its  first  (1891)  campaign,  and  upward  of  50,000  tons  in  1897. 

Local  capital  and  the  characteristic  enterprise  of  certain  men  [prominent  in  the 
Mormon  church,  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  factory  at  Lehi,  Utah,  which  handled 
nearly  10,000  tons  of  beets  in  its  first  campaign  (1891),  and  nearly  45,000  tuns  of  the 
1896  crop.  O.  K.  Lapham  also  established  a  small  plant  at  Staunton,  Virginia,  that 
demonstrated  the  practicability  of  the  industry,  but  was  burned  in  1894.  The  factory 
at  Eddy.  New  Mexico,  was  got  in  operation  in  time  to  work  up  a  few  thousand  tons 
of  the  '96  crop,  and  the  same  can  be  said  of  the  new  plant  at  Menomonee  Falls,  Wis. 

THE   RECORD  IN   BRIEF. 

Such  is  an  outline  of  the  beet-sugar  industry  in  America  to  the  opening  of  1897. 
The  bounty  of  two  cents  per  pound  for^  fifteen  years  offered  by  the  McKinley  tariff, 
Aug  6,  1896,  gave  a  great  stimulus  to  an  industry  which  years  of  extensive  and  costly 
experimenting  had  shown  could  be  developed  in  this  country.  But  before  much 
could  be  done,  progress  was  arrested  by  the  Wilson  tariff,  Aug  28,  1894,  removing  the 
bounty  and  substituting  a  duty  of  only  40  per  cent  ad  valorem,  with  constantly  de- 
creasing prices,  due  to  the  unfair  competition  of  European  export-bounty-fostered 
sugars. 

As  usual,  it  took  the  farmers'  several  years  to  learn  how  to  grow  beets,  and  it  was 
not  until  1896  that  these  factories  were  supplied  with  all  the  beets  they  could  possi- 


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38  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

bly  work  into  sugar.  This  season  was  a  disappointment  at  Chino,  where  the  expected 
crop  was  considerably  curtailed  by  drouth.  At  Lehi,  on  the  other  hand,  too  many 
beets  were  grown— the  factory  could  hardly  work  them  all.  We  are  under  obligations 
to  Willett  &  Gray  for  the  following. 

SUMMARY  OF  BEET  SUGAR  PRODUCTION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES: 

[Iii  tons  of  2240  pounds.] 

1830,  A  few  hundred  pounds  1884,  953  tons 

1831-7,  None  1885,  600  tons 

1838-9,  1,300  IDS  1886,  800  tons 

183962,  None  1887,  255  tons 

1863-71,  300—500  tons  per  annum  1888,  1,910  tons 

1872,  500  tons  1889,  2,600  tons 

1873,  700  tons  1890,  2,800  tons 
1874-7,  Under  100  tons  per  annum  1891,  5,359  tons 

1878,  200  tons  1892,  12,091  tons 

1879,  1,200  tons  1893,  20,453  tons 

1880,  500  tons  1894,  20,443  tons 
1881-2,                        Less  than  500  tons                                                       1895,                      30,000  tons 
1883,                            535  tons                                                                               1896,                        40,000  tons 

WHAT  OF  THE  FUTURE  ? 

Wherever  factories  have  been  established,  farmers  are  now  eager  to  raise  beets 
for  them  at  $4  to  $5  per  ton.  Offers  have  been  made  to  grow  beets  for  the  older  fac- 
tories in  1897  far  in  excess  of  their  capacity.  Watsonville  could  not  accept  half  the 
acreage  offered.  In  such  cases,  the  factories  contract  only  with  those  growers  who 
have  shown  the  most  interest  and  the  ability  to  furnish  beets  of  the  best  quality. 

Mr  Spreckels  has  under  construction  at  Salinas  City,  California,  what  is  destined 
to  be  the  largest  single  beet  sugar  factory  in  the  world,  with  a  capacity  of  over 
300,000  tons  of  beets  during  a  campaign  of  about  100  days,  that  will  be  ready  for  the 
1898  crop,  and  will  require  25,000  acres  of  beets  for  its  supply.  At  Alamitos,  Califor- 
nia, a  new  factory  will  be  ready  for  1897  with  a  capacity  of  350  tons  of  beets  per  day. 
The  first  New  York  Beet  Sugar  company  hopes  to  have  the  machinery  from  the  plant 
at  Farnham  in  operation  at  Borne,  New  York,  in  time  to  handle  30,000  tons  of  the 
1897  crop. 

Several  of  the  existing  factories  propose  to  enlarge.  There  are  a  number  of  other 
factory  enterprises  that  are  more  or  less  organized.  About  1000  communities  in  the 
cane  and  beet  sugar  belts  are  anxious  to  secure  beet-sugar  factories  or  cane-sugar 
houses.  There  is  no  question  about  the  prompt  and  extensive  development  of  the 
industry,  if  congress  extends  to  it  satisfactory  assurances  that  the  American  market 
will  be  preserved  for  the  American  sugar  producers.  Without  this,  the  business  will 
stop  right  where  it  is. 

ELEMENTARY  PRINCIPLES. 

Before  proceeding  to  give  details  of  just  how  the  foregoing  has  been  accomplished 
and  a  full  discussion  of  what  has  been  learned  from  all  past  experience  that  may 
guide  us  in  the  future,  a  few  elementary  points  should  be  understood. 

TECHNICAL  TERMS    EXPLAINED. 

Prof  W.  A.  Henry  covers  this  point  very  clearly  in  these  words:  What  is  meant 
T)y  "per  cent  of  sugar  in  the  juice"  and  by  co-efficient  of  purity?  A  hundred  pounds 
of  sugar  beets  contain  about  95  pounds  of  juice.  This  juice  not  only  contains  sugar 


40  THE    SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

but  various  other  substances,  largely  mineral  matter,  which  are  a  great  hindrance,, 
causing  serious  losses  of  sugar  during  the  manufacture.  A  hundred  pounds  of  average 
beet  juice  will  carry  about  15  pounds  of  solid  matter,  of  which  twelve  pounds  may  be 
sugar,  and  three  pounds  matter  not  sugar.  If  we  divide  the  number  of  pounds  of 
sugar  (12)  by  the  total  pounds  of  solid  matter  (15),  we  get  .80,  which  sum  is  called 
the  co-efficient  of  purity;  that  is,  beet  juice  with  15  parts  solids,  12  of  which  are 
sugar,  is  said  to  have  a  co-efficient  of  purity  of  80.  If  the  sample  of  juice  contains 
1(3  parts  solid  matter  and  12  parts  sugar,  as  before,  then  the  co-efficient  of  purity  is 
only  75. 

When  reducing  the  beet  juice  to  make  sugar,  each  pound  of  foreign  matter,  not 
sugar,  keeps  at  least  one  pound  of  sugar  from  crystallizing.  This  true,  we  se3  at  once 
that  the  manufacturer  desires  beet  roots  not  only  carrying  much  sugar  but  also  with 
a  high  co-efficient  of  purity.  Immature  beets,  those  grown  on  soils  rich  in  vegetable 
matter  or  fertilized  with  fresh  barnyard  manure,  those  grown  on  land  recently  cleared 
from  the  forest,  or  on  drained  swamp  lands,  are  all  liable  to  carry  a  great  deal  of 
solid  matter  not  sugar  in  the  juice,  and  consequently  are  quite  unsatisfactory  to  the 
sugar  manufacturer.  Large  beets  are  likewise  always  poor  in  sugar.  The  leaf  stems 
of  the  beet,  as  well  as  the  crown  of  the  beet  root  itself,  also  carry  much  foreign  mat- 
ter. In  practice,  the  manufacturer  recovers  about  7  out  of  every  10  pounds  of  sugar- 
contained  in  the  beet  root. 

It  should  be  added  that  the  apparent  co-efficient  of  purity  of  the  juice  is  fre- 
quently misleading,  since  it  takes  no  account  of  the  nature  of  the  non-sugars  present. 
The  real  purity  of  the  beet  is  also  to  be  distinguished  from  the  apparent  purity  of 
the  juice.  The  real  purity  of  the  beet  is  obtained  by  dividing  the  percentage  of 
sugar  in  the  beet  by  the  total  solid  matter  therein;  the  apparent  purity  of  the  juice 
by  dividing  the  percentage  of  sugar  therein  by  the  apparent  percentage  of  solids  as 
indicated  by  the  Brix  spindle. 

QUALITY  OF  THE  BEET  SUGAR. 

Whenever  the  subject  of  beet  sugar  is  brought  forward  the  first  inquiry  usually 
made  is,  "Is  beet  sugar  white  like  other  sugar  and  does  it  not  have  a  peculiar  taste?" 
In  its  very  beginning,  when  struggling  for  recognition  in  Europe,  the  beet  industry 
was  handicapped  by  the  claim  that  its  sugar  was  not  equal  in  quality  with  that  yield- 
ed by  the  cane  plant  of  the  tropics.  England  did  not  wish  to  recognize  any  competitor 
with  the  cane  sugar  of  her  dependencies.  In  brief,  to  answer  the  questions  asked 
above,  the  refined  sugar  from  the  beet  root  equals  in  all  particulars  that  yielded  by 
the  cane  plant.  Enormous  quantities  of  beet  sugar  are  now  being  shipped  to  this 
country  from  Europe,  mainly  Germany,  and  the  chances  are  more  than  even  that  the 
persons  who  question  the  purity  and  flavor  of  beet  sugar  are  using  it  daily  in  their 
tea  and  coffee. 

HOW  BEET  SUGAR  IS  MADE. 

The  large  illustration  on  Page  30  gives  an  admirable  view  of  the  interior  of  the 
Chino  beet-sugar  factory,  which  will  help  to  make  clear  this  description  of  the  proc- 
ess of  manufacture.  First,  the  beets  are  brought  in  by  the  farmers  and  deposited  in 
large  sheds  with  V-shaped  bottoms,  which  are  connected  with  the  factory  by  means 


ECONOMIC   ASPECTS   OF   SUGAR.  41 

of  channels,  through  which  a  moderate  flow  of  water  carries  the  beets  into  the  first 
washing  machine.  J3y  means  of  a  spiral,  the  beets  are  tumbled  about,  washed  and 
carried  on  until  they  drop  into  an  elevator,  which  carries  them  to  the  top  of  the 
building,  where  they  pass  through  an  automatic  weigher  and  are  sliced  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  open  up  the  pores  of  the  beet  as  far  as  possible.  The  sugar  beet  is 
very  similar  to  the  honeycomb,  and  in  its  little  cells  is  secreted  the  sweet  matter,  so 
that  in  slicing,  it  is  desirable  to  open  up  as  many  of  these  little  cells  as  possible. 
Hence  the  necessity  of  having  the  knives  sharp,  so  that  the  cells  may  not  be  ruptured, 
but  clean  cut.  As  these  slices  come  from  under  the  cutter,  they  are  put  in  what  is 
known  as  a  diffusion  battery,  shown  in  the  center  of  the  foreground  of  illustration  on 
Page  30.  In  this  battery,  the  sugar  is  extracted  by  soaking  the  sliced  beets  in 
water.  Warm  water  is  turned  into  the  contents  of  a  large  iron  jar  holding  several 
tons  of  sliced  beets.  This  water  circulates  through  the  mass  of  cossettes  (the  name 
given  to  the  slices  of  beets)  and  passes  out  through  the  bottom  by  means  of  a  pipe 
which  enters  the  top  of  Jar  No  2,  the  water  being  forced  along  by  pressure. 

From  one  battery  to  another,  this  liquid  passes  along  until  it  has  gone  through  14 
cells  or  jars,  when  it  is  shown  that  sufficient  water  has  passed  through  Jar  No  1. 
The  water  is  now  turned  off  and  No  2  becomes  No  1  and  No  1  is  emptied  of  its  cos- 
settes and  refilled,  becoming  No  14,  and  so  the  circle  is  continued  all  day  and  all 
night,  procuring  in  this  way  all  the  sugar  in  the  cossettes  in  liquid  form,  which  now 
has  the  color  of  vinegar.  This  liquid  is  now  taken  to  a  measuring  tank  near  by  from 
which  it  goes  to  a  mixer,  where  it  is  mixed  with  lime  and  then  put  into  a  huge  tank 
for  carbonation,  in  which  the  lime  and  all  foreign  matter  it  contains  is  rendered 
insoluble  by  means  of  carbonic  acid  gas  forced  through  the  uottom  of  the  carbonation 
tank.  Then  the  mixture  comes  through  the  filter  press  room  where,  by  means  of  an 
elaborate  series  of  frames,  it  is  filtered,  and  becomes  transparent.  The  process  of 
mixing,  carbonating  and  filtering  is  then  repeated  for  the  second  time.  This  fin- 
ished, the  syrup  is  treated  with  sulphur  fumes  and  then  passes  into  the  quadruple 
effect,  which  is  four  large  boilers  in  which  the  water  contained  in  the  syrup  is  evapo- 
rated, when  we  have  what  is  called  "thick  juice."  This  syrup  is  boiled  in  the  vac- 
uum pan,  and  now  becomes  raw  sugar,  and  is  then  run  into  the  centrifugals  and  made 
into  white  sugar.  The  sugar  is  now  damp,  like  wet  snow,  and  by  means  of  a  granu- 
lator,  it  is  dried,  and  through  different  sieves  is  separated  into  the  liner  or  coarser- 
grained  sugar,  ready  for  the  market. 


CHAPTER  II. 
HOW    THE    INDUSTRY    HAS    GROWN    IN    EACH    STATE. 

CALIFORNIA. 

The  Golden  State  is  on  the  eve  of  an  enormous  development  of  her  beet-sugar 
industry.  The  remarkable  success  of  this  industry  in  recent  years  has  stimulated  both 
capitalists  and  farmers  to  push  this  new  industry  to  the  utmost  in  case  the  American 

market  is  reserved  for  American  sugar. 
Experiments  in  many  parts  of  the  state 
have  been  conducted  extensively  during 
the  past  six  years.  In  many  of  these  cases, 
the  beets  have  been  raised  on  a  large  scale 
and  shipped  to  exi^ng  factories,  some 
being  hauled  long  distances.  In  other  cases, 
the  crop  has  been  used  as  feed  for  stock 
while  the  farmers  were  learning  how  to 
raise  the  crop,  and  demonstrating  the 
adaptability  of  the  sugar  beet  to  their  pe- 
culiar soil  by  having  the  beets  analyzed  at 
the  state  experiment  station.  It  is  now 
evident  that  there  are  hundreds  of  square 
miles  of  the  richest  land  in  the  world  avail- 
able for  sugar-beet  culture  in  the  Golden 
State. 

The  factory  of  the  Alameda  sugar  com- 
pany, at  Alvarado,  will  probably  be  en- 
larged this  year.  During  the  campaign 
with  the  1896  crop,  it  has  worked  up  about 


PRESIDENT    ALLEN. 

R.  M.  Allen,  president  of  tlie  American  sugar 
growers'  society,  is  also  president  of  the  Nebraska 
state  sugar  growers'  society  and  one  of  the  largest 
growers  of  sugar  beets  in  the  country,  having 
m-own  500  acres  of  beets  annually  for  the  past  six 
years.  He  is  also  a  large  cattle  feeder  and  is  pro- 
foundly impressed  with  the  vast  possibilities  of 
the  beet  sxigar  industry  and  of  the  great  value  in 
cattle  feeding  of  the  beet  pulp  from  the  factory 
and  of  the  beet  tops. 


55,000  tons  of  beets.  Their  sugar  content 
varied  from  12  to  18  per  cent,  with  from 
70  to  88  per  cent  co-efficient  of.  purity, 
averaging  over  15  per  cent  of  sugar  and 
81  purity.  We  give  on  Page  33  an  excel- 
lent photo-engraving  of  this  historical 


In  the  1895  campaign  Alvarado  worked  27,385  tons  of  beets   into   5,400,000  Ibs   of 
sugar,  the  beets  averaging  13  per  cent  of  sugar. 

MR  SPRECKELS'    ENTERPRISE  AT  WATSONVILLE 

in  Santa  Cruz  county,  near  the  coast,  about  75  miles  south   of  San   Francisco,  and  25 
miles  north  of  Monterey,  has  the  credit  of  standing  at  the  head  of  the  sugar  industry 


44  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

in  America,  working  up  in  a  single  season  the  largest  quantity  of  beets,  and  turning- 
out  the  largest  quantity  of  sugar  ever  made  by  one  factory  in  this  country.  As  high 
as  1400  tons  of  beets  have  been  crushed  by  the  factory  in  one  day  of  24  hours,  also  the 
American  record.  The  campaign  of  1896  began  in  September  and  concluded  on  Jan- 
uary 29,  beets  being  delivered  by  the  farmers  up  to  Jan  23.  There  were  154,936  tons  of 
beets  delivered  to  the  factory  by  rail  and  wagon,  from  which  19,528  tons  of  sugar 
were  made  during  the  campaign  of  171  days,  the  factory  running  3446  hours— the  long- 
est run  on  record  in  this  or  any  other  country.  This  plant  does  not  refine  its  prod- 
uct, the  raw  sugar  being  shipped  to  the  Spreckels'  refinery  at  San  Francisco,  which 
accounts  in  part  for  the  large  capacity  of  this  factory. 

It  is  not  likely  that  this  phenomenal  record  will  soon  be  duplicated  by  this  or 
any  other  factory.  The  conditions  were  about  as  near  perfect  as  could  be,  both  in 
field  and  mill.  The  phenomenal  crop  of  1894  was  beaten  by  about  10,000  tons  by  the 
crop  of  1896,  but  the  quality  was  much  higher,  as  7000  more  tons  of  sugar  were  ob- 
tained the  past  season  than  in  the  1894-5  campaign. 

The  155,000  tons  of  beets  were  grown  on  about  11,017  acres,  yielding  an  average  of 
14  tons  of  beets,  and  3, 545  pounds  of  raw  sugar  per  acre.  Some  fields  gave  as  high 
as  25  tons  per  acflt,  and  small  plots  of  a  few  acres  ran  up  to  30  tons,  while  several 
tracts  of  100  acres  or  more  averaged  18  tons  per  acre.  Fully  12,000  acres  have  been 
contracted  for  the  '97  campaign,  indicating  a  probable  crop  of  150,000  tons. 

In  the  campaign  of  1895,  the  Watson ville  factory  ran  2063  hours,  sliced  77,145  tons 
of  beets  or  an  average  of  900  tons  per  day  of  24  hours.  From  these  beets  10,945  tons 
of  sugar  were  manufactured.  The  beets  were  produced  on  7244  acres,  which  averaged 
nearly  11  tons  of  beets  and  1|  tons  of  sugar  per  acre.  This  is  a  smaller  yield  than  in 
previous  years,  because  of  extensive  rainfall  during  the  harvest  period. 

The  Watson  ville  factory  pays  $4  per  ton  for  all  beets,  or  a  total  paid  farmers  for 
the  '96  crop  of  nearly  $650, 000  com  pared  to  $300,000  for  the  crop  of  the  previous  year. 
Since  its  humble  beginning  upon  the  crop  of  1888,  this  concern  has  paid  the  farmers 
about  $2,500,000  for  beets — a  new  crop  that  but  for  this  factory  would  not  have  been 
grown.  More  than  halt  a  million  has  been  paid  for  labor  in  this  factory.  In  brief, 
this  enterprise,  in  a  little  more  than  eight  years,  has  distributed  some  $3,000, - 
000  among  the  farmers  and  laborers  of  this  vicinity — money  that  otherwise  would 
have  gone  out  of  the  country  to  pay  for  imported  sugar.  This  money  and  the  indus- 
tries its  circulation  has  created,  have  built  up  a  remarkably  prosperous  community, 
where  farmers  were  prosperous  and  money  was  easy  all  through  the  hard  times  of 
1893-6.  Whole  pages  could  be  filled  with  the  particulars  of  the  beneficent  results  of 
the  industry,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  but  for  it  these  farmer  would  have 
been  obliged  to  raise  grain  or  fruits  at  little  or  no  profit.  Many  of  them  have  paid  off 
their  mortgages  and  acquired  a  snug  little  competence  besides  from  the  beet  crop. 
Says  the  local  paper,  the  Pajaronain  of  Jan  21,  1897:  "The  beet  payday  last  week  was 
a  giant  and  twenty-dollar  pieces  crowded  each  other  in  Watsonville.  There  was  about 
as  much  money  paid  out  here  that  payday  as  the  railroad  company  pays  out  monthly 
at  its  big  shop  center,  Sacramento;  and  the  next  payday  will  be  about  as  large." 

EXPERIENCE  IN  SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA. 

The  enterprise  at  Chino  in  San  Bernardino  county  in  Southern  California,  is  in/ 


o 


4G  THE   SUGAlt   INDUSTRY. 

many  respects  typical  of  what  the  sugar  industry  can  do  for  a  community.  A  few- 
years  ago  this  was  a  vast  ranch,  which  Richard  Gird  had  purchased  and  conducted 
as  a  cattle  and  horse-breeding  establishment,  on  the  liberal  scale  characteristic  of 
California's  early  days.  With  the  decline  in  live  stock,  however,  Mr  Gird  recognized 
the  necessity  of  devoting  his  property  to  the  production  of  some  crop  that  could  be 
utilized  at  a  profit  in  the  vicinity.  Instead  of  going  into  citrus  fruits  or  other  spe- 
cialties already  established  in  that  region  but  in  which  he  feared  overproduction,  he 
looked  into  the  beet-sugar  industry,  raised  beets  for  a  number  of  years  on  various 
soils,  determined  their  sugar  content,  and  in  due  time  was  able  to  demonstrate  that 
on  this  spot  could  be  raised  the  largest  yields  per  acre  of  beets  richest  in  sugar.  All 
this  involved  a  vast  amount  of  original  and  costly  work,  and  thus  it  took  two  or 
three  years  to  find  capitalists  and  get  them  sufficiently  interested  to  put  up  the 
money  needed.  The  outcome  was  the  establishment  by  the  Chino  Valley  Beet-Sugar 
Company  of  the  immense  plant  illustrated  in  part  on  Pages  30,  45  and  47,  in  which  the 
Oxnards  are  the  controlling  spirits. 

Mr  Gird  had  to  contract  to  furnish  the  factory  with  at  least  5000  acres  of  beets  for 
several  years— and  this  at  a  time  when  there  was  not  another  house  to  be  seen  from 
the  homestead  on  the  vast  ranch.  But  with  a  market  assured  for  a  new,  certain  and 
profitable  crop,  Mr  Gird  at  once  offered  liberal  inducements  to  settlers,  land  was  sold 
in  small  blocks  on  easy  terms,  people  flocked  to  Chino,  until  it  has  now  become  a 
thriving  community  in  a  well-built  town,  surrounded  by  farms  of  from  10  to  30  acres 
or  more,  each  with  its  comfortable  home  and  well  to-do  family.  All  this  where  cattle 
and  horses  roamed  the  unbroken  prairie  previous  to  1890.  And  so  well  was  the 
enterprise  conducted  that  when  Mr  Gird  wished  to  retire  in  1896,  he  was  able  to  sell 
the  balance  of  the  ranch  to  an  English  syndicate  for  $2,500,000. 

The  factory  really  began  operations  in  1891,  when  less  than  2000  acres  of  beets 
were  grown,  and  the  average  yield  was  only  seven  tons  per  acre,  or  a  total  product  of 
13, 000  tons,  for  which  the  farmers  were  paid  about  $51,000.  During  the  season  of 
1895,  five  thousand  acres  in  this  township  were  devoted  to  beets,  while  the  product 
from  2500  acres  more  were  hauled  by  rail  about  75  miles  from  the  Orange  county  dis- 
trict. The  factory  that  year  converted  83, 000  tons  of  beets  into  sugar,  for  which  the 
farmers  were  paid  nearly  $362,000.  Most  of  the  beets  are  grown  within  two  miles  of 
the  factory,  the  longest  wagon  haul  being  eight  miles,  and  the  shortest  half  a  mile. 
Over  twenty  million  pounds  of  refined  sugar  was  actually  made  and  sold,  exclusive  of 
a  little  raw  sugar  and  all  molasses,  etc,  or  an  average  of  249  Ibs  of  refined  sugar  ob- 
tained and  sold  from  each  ton  of  beets,  or  2747  Ibs  from  each  acre  of  beets.  The  land 
about  the  factory  is  peculiarly  fitted  for  this  industry,  as  seed  can  be  planted  very 
early  on  the  uplands,  and  then  in  succession  on  the  lower  lands.  Thus  the  factory 
can  begin  to  work  up  the  early  crop  in  July,  and  in  the  absence  of  frost  can  run  until 
the  latest  seeding  is  harvested  in  November.  All  pitting  and  storing  of  beets  is  thus 
saved— a  most  important  consideration.  The  season  of  1896  was  the  dryest  in  20 
years,  but  the  factory  milled  63,000  tons  of  beets  before  closing  down  about  Nov  1, 
part  of  the  crop  not  being  accepted.  Chino  fields  furnished  nearly  50,000  tons. 
With  the  usual  rainfall,  80,000  tons  of  beets  was  to  have  been  expected.  The  full 
details  of  the  last  campaign  are  not  available  at  this  writing,  but  here  is  a  table  giv- 


©F  THE 
COLLEGE  OF 


H 


IT! 


i 


This  building  at  the  left  is  for  the  Large  piles  of  broken  limestone  Three  more  large  kilns  under 

Steffens  process  of  refining.  in  the  foreground.  cover  to  the  right. 

LIME    KILNS    AT    CHINO    BEET    SUGAR    FACTORY 


48 


THE   SUGAK   INDUSTRY. 


ing   an    immense     amount     of     information     about   the    industry   and    its   growth. 


THE  RESULTS  AT  CHINO  FOR  ITS  FIRST  FIVE  YEARS. 


1891 


1892 


1893 


1894 


1895 


1,800 

3,488 

4,191 

4,778 

7,528 

13,080 

26,266 

49,353 

43,773 

83,035 

7.26 

7.50 

11.7 

9.16 

11.03 

13 

14 

14 

15 

15 

1,888 

2,100 

3,276 

2,748 

3,309 

1,510 

1,680 

2,621 

2,198 

2,670 

Aug  20 

July  13 

July  31 

Aug  2 

July  9 

Oct31 

Get  11 

Nov4 

Get  24 

Nov  14 

73 

91 

97 

85 

129 

179 

288 

509 

526 

644 

28,108 

86,852 

15,592 

111,431 

161,129 

1,026 

3,952 

7,532 

4,736 

10,393 

$3.90 

4.26 

4.26 

4.66 

4.35 

$28.37 

31.95 

49.84 

42.69 

47.98 

Acres  of  beets  grown, 

Tons  of  beets  produced, 

Average  yield  of  beets  per  acre,  tons, 

Per  cent  of  sugar  in  beets, 

*Crude  sugar  per  acre,  Ibs, 

*Pure  sugar  per  acre  (80%), 

Began  making  sugar, 

Finished  making  sugar, 

Days  in  operation, 

Average  weight  of  beets  worked  daily,  tons, 

Average  weight  of  sugar  made  daily,  Ibs, 

Total  weight  of  sugar  made,  tons,  , 

Average  paid  farmers  per  ton  beets, 

Average  return  per  acre, 

*Estimates  or  data  figured  by  the  author,  the  other  facts  being  all  furnished  from  the  company's 
books.  The  ton  is  of  2000  Ibs.  Granulated  sugar  only  was  made  in '91,  raw  sugar  only  in  '92  and  '9'J, 
while  the  product  of  '94  was  all  the  best  grade  of  refined  white  granulated  sugar  except  1009  tons 
(2,017,363  Ibs)  of  raw  sugar,  and  in  '95  only  51  tons  (102,286  Ibs)  of  raws. 

Among  the  most  successful  beet  growers  for  this  factory  are  the  brothers  Gustaf- 
sen,  who  averaged  15  to  20  tons  per  acre.  The  Dethlefsen  brothers  averaged  20  tons  per 
acre  on  250  acres  in  the  comparatively  poor  season  of  1896,  and  will  double  their  area 
in  1897.  They  give  their  crop  close  personal  attention,  and  [no  detail  that  will  con- 
tribute to  success  is  omitted.  They  have  fully  determined  that  there  is  a  certain 
profit  in  intelligent  beet  culture,  and  well  they  may,  for  their  net  profits  above  all 
expenses  and  good  pay  for  their  own  time  and  ability,  have  averaged  over  $30  per 
acre. 

To  protect  their  interests  at  the  factory,  planters  have  a  strong  union,  which 
chooses  its  own  chemist,  weigher  and  tare  man  to  keep  tab  on  the  beets  as  delivered, 
to  see  that  full  weight  is  credited  on  each  lot,  and  that  the  deduction  for  tare  is  not 
too  large,  while  the  chemist's  duplicate  analyses  are  a  check  on  the  factory  tests.  At 
the  annual  meeting  in  December,  1896,  of  the  Chino  beet  growers'  union,  numbering 
106  farmers,  it  was  reported  that  48,139  tons  beets  were  harvested  and  marketed. 
The  average  price  per  ton  was  $3.78,  representing  a  total  of  about  $180,000  paid  for 
this  season's  beets.  The  average  sugar  content  was  placed  at  14  per  cent.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  present  membership,  there  are  nearly  100  farmers  who  make  a  business  of 
growing  beets,  and  it  is  hoped  these  may  also  be  brought  into  the  union,  in  order  to 
secure  the  best  possible  administration  of  the  business  affairs  of  growers.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  season  an  assessment  of  4c  per  ton  was  levied  on  all  Chino  beets  to 
defray  factory  and  office  expenses  of  the  union,  including  tare  man  and  check  chem- 
ist. The  close  of  the  season  finds  a  surplus  in  the  treasury  which  makes  it  possible 
to  rebate  lie  per  ton.  Thus  it  cost  less  than  3c  per  ton  harvested  to  carry  on  the 
business  of  the  union. 

The  Chino  factory  uses  oil  for  fuel,  from  75,000  to  100,000  barrels  during  a  cam- 
paign, which  comes  through  pipes  from  the  oil  company,  14  miles  distant,  although  it 
is  hoped  to  get  a  supply  near  by  from  oil  wells  on  the  ranch.  It  consumed  125,000 
tons  of  limestone  in  1895,  its  21  artesian  wells  furnished  nearly  4,000,000  gallons  of 


S 


50  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

water  daily  and  it  paid  $100,000  in  wages  to  the  350  men  employed  in   and   about  the 
factory. 

THE  NEW   FACTORIES   IN   CALIFORNIA. 

Work  is  going  forward  on  Mr  Spreckels'  immense  plant  at  Salinas  City.  While  it 
will  have  a  capacity  of  some  3000  tons  of  beets  per  day  of  24  hours,  it  will  practically 
consist  of  three  sets  of  machinery  under  one  roof,  each  of  1000  tons  capacity  daily. 
Mr  Spreckels  will  have  to  pay  out  $12,000  a  day  for  beets  and  $5000  daily  for  labor 
and  other  materials  at  the  factory.  According  to  this  estimate,  the  daily  expenses 
will  average  no  less  than  $17,000,  or  nearly  $2,000,000  for  a  campaign  of  under  four 
months.  It  was  expected  at  first  that  this  immense  plant  would  be  ready  for  the  1897 
crop  and  before  it  was  decided  upon,  Mr  Spreckels  insisted  on  having  contracts  with 
farmers  to  grow  25,000  acres  of  beets.  It  now  appears  that  delays  in  making  the 
machinery  are  such  that  the  plant  will  not  be  in  operation  until  1898.  While  it  will 
use  the  product  from  25,000  to  35,000  acres  of  land  annually,  fully  100,000  acres  will  be 
involved,  in  order  to  permit  the  necessary  rotation  of  crops.  Farmers  in  the  contigu- 
ous country,  however,  are  ready  to  grow  100,000  acres  of  beets  every  year  if  factories 
are  put  up  to  work  them. 

The  Los  Alamitos  Sugar  Co  is  building  a  large  factory  in  the  center  of  the  Los 
Alamitos  Rancho,  which  contains  6700  acres  of  choice  sugar-beet  land  belonging  to 
the  Bixby  Land  Co,  which  has  contracted  to  furnish  the  sugar  company  with  its  full 
complement  of  beets  for  a  term  of  five  years.  This  ranch  lies  about  ten  miles  inland 
from  the  sea,  near  Los  Angeles.  The  climate  is  perfect  the  year  around.  The  soil  is 
a  deep,  sandy,  sub-irrigated  loam,  having  been  deposited  for  centuries  by  the  over- 
flow of  the  San  Gabriel  -river,  and  according  to  the  artesian-well  borings,  its  depth 
exceeds  400  feet.  It  is  believed  that  there  is  sufficient  moisture  in  the  soil  to  produce 
beets  in  the  dryest  years  without  irrigation.  The  factory  is  being  equipped  entirely 
with  American  machinery  by  E.  H.  Dyer  &  Co  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  who  furnish  both 
buildings  and  machinery  and  turn  them  over  to  the  sugar  company  when  in  full  oper- 
ation. The  frame  of  the  factory  is  of  steel  and  the  walls  of  brick  and  will  be 
equipped  to  work  off  350  tons  of  beets  per  day  of  the  1897  crop.  The  building  is  so 
large  that  more  machinery  can  be  added  to  double  the  present  capacity  at  the  mini- 
mum of  additional  expense.  Great  care  has  been  given  to  so  plan  the  building  and 
machinery  as  to  secure  the  utmost  economy  of  labor  and  fuel.  These  works  will  han- 
dle 350  tons  of  beets  per  day  with  less  than  100  men,  and  consume  under  fourteen  per 
cent  of  lignite  coal  for  fuel.  A  sectional  view  of  the  structure  is  given  on  Page  37. 

Many  of  the  sugar  factory  propositions  in  California  are  awaiting  the  action  of 
congress.  Should  it  be  favorable,  several  new  enterprises  will  be  established  in  time 
to  handle  thousands  of  additional  acres  of  beets  in  '98. 

NEBRASKA. 

The  efforts  to  establish  the  beet-sugar  industry  in  Nebraska  date  back  about  ten 
years,  and  her  experience  is  typical  of  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  industry.  A 
factory  was  established  at  Grand  Island  in  1889,  by  the  Oxnards,  being  aided  by  the 
gift  of  land  and  a  cash  bonus,  while  the  state  offered  a  bounty  of  one  cent  per  pound 
on  the  sugar,  which  yielded  the  factory  $7,364  on  the  -product  of  its  first  campaign 
on  the  crop  of  1890.  The  law  was  repealed  at  the  session  of '91.  Meanwhile  the 


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52  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY.         * 

Oxnards  had  established  another  factory  at  Norfolk,  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
Nebraska,  but  the  farmers  were  slow  to  take  hold  of  the  industry,  and  with  the  re- 
peal of  the  state  bounties  and  the  national  elections  of  '92  forecasting  the  repeal  of 
the  McKinley  bounty  and  lower  prices  for  beets,  a  decided  set  back  was  given  to  the 
industry.  On  top  of  this  came  the  drouth  year  01  1894,  with  disastrous  results.  The 
factories  having  been  obliged  to  reduce  the  price  from  $5  to  $4  per  ton,  not  enough 
were  planted  to  run  the  factories  a  reasonable  length  of  time,  even  had  the  season 
been  favorable. 

The  state  came  to  the  rescue  and  by  the  act  of  March  25,  1895,  offered  a  bounty  of 
f  of  a  cent  per  pound  on  all  sugar  manufactured,  provided  the  price  of  beets  was 
raised  from  $4  to  $5.  This  bounty  therefore  amounts  to  an  extra  bonus  of  $1  per  ton 
on  the  beets  to  growers.  Thus  encouraged,  5000  acres  were  secured  for  the  Norfolk 
factory  and  4000  for  the  Grand  Island  factory  for  the  1895  crop.  The  spring  was  not 
favorable,  the  early  summer  was  dry,  but  later  fine-growing  weather  promised  a  mag- 
nificent crop.  Then  came  what  the  beet  planter  dreads  almost  as  much  as  the  cane 
planter  fears  early  frosts  :  September  opened  with  a  general  rain  followed  by  a  period 
of  high  temperature.  The  nearly  ripened  beets,  responding  to  the  moisture  and 
warmth,  began  a  period  of  growth,  drawing  sustenance  from  the  sugar  already  stored. 
Before  they  could  again  begin  elaborating  sugar,  a  period  of  cold  and  cloudy  weather 
set  in,  checking  growth  and  leaving  the  beets  in  an  immature  condition  as  a  result  of 
these  unprecedented  climatic  conditions.  The  result  was  that  many  beets  were  re- 
jected by  the  factory  because,  being  below  12  per  cent  sugar  and  under  80  purity,  it 
did  not  pay  to  work  them  at  $4  per  ton.  This  caused  much  dissatisfaction  among 
growers,  who  at  first  complained  that  the  factory  tests  were  not  reliable,  but  they 
employed  a  chemist  of  their  own  and  also  had  analyses  made  by  the  state  experiment 
station.  This  work  supported  and  justified  the  results  reported  by  the  factory 
chemists,  and  convinced  farmers  that  the  fault  was  in  the  weather  and  not  in  the 
factory. 

But  for  the  determined  efforts  of  the  Nebraska  beet-sugar  growers'  association,  it 
is  possible  that  the  whole  industry  might  have  stopped  then  and  there.  As  the 
bounty  was  supposed  to  stand  for  another  year,  a  grand  effort  was  made  to  give  the 
industry  a  thorough  trial  in  1896.  The  result  was  all  that  could  be  expected.  The 
crop  was  perfect  in  every  particular,  the  weather  in  September,  October  and  Novem- 
ber was  as  usual  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  the  factories  worked  up  over  75,000 
tons  of  beets.  Farmers  have  made  handsome  profits  on  the  1896  crop,  they  feel  that 
they  have  thoroughly  mastered  the  culture  of  the  sugar  beet,  and  they  offer  to  grow 
many  more  beets  for  1897  than  the  factories  can  possibly  work  up,  even  should  the 
beets  be  siloed  so  that  the  factories  can  run  until  March  1,  as  was  the  case  at  Norfolk 
on  the  1896  crop.  Growers  who  had  contracts  the  past  year  want  to  double  or  triple 
their  acreage  and  hundreds  of  others  are  anxious  to  raise  beets  on  their  own  lands,  or 
lease  lands  for  the  beet  crop  of  1897.  And  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Nebraska's 
supreme  court  has  decided  that  the  state  bounty  (of  which  $50,000  was  paid  on  the  '95 
crop)  is  not  payable  unless  the  'legislature  specifically  appropriates  the  money  there- 
for. Whether  the  state  will  pay  this  bountv  of  $1  per  ton  on  the  '96  crop  is  not  yet 
settled,  but  it  is  evident  that  the  state  will  not  renew  the  bounty,  so  that  unless  na- 


•P 


0 


THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


tional  legislation  and  advancing  prices  for  sugar  increase  its  value,  the  price  of  beets 
for  1897  will  be  not  over  $4  per  ton.  That  was  the  price  for  '96,  the  extra  dollar  being 
conditional  upon  the  state  paying  the  bounty. 

THE  RECORD  OF  THE  BEET  SUGAR  INDUSTRY  IN  NEBRASKA. 

The  dry  season  of  1894  produced  beets  of  a  low  water  content  that  yielded  an  aver- 
age of  216  Ibs  of  refined  sugar  to  the  ton,  compared  to  176  Ibs  the  year  before.  In 
1895,  on  the  other  hand,  late  rains  and  a  warm  fall  started  a  second  growth  which  in- 
creased the  size  and  weight  at  expense  of  sugar,  which  averaged  only  150  pounds  of 
refined  to  the  ton.  The  average  for  the  last  campaign  will  be  fully  200  Ibs  of  refined 
sugar  to  the  ton  and  will  thus  compare  with  previous  years  since  the  factory  began 
operations : 


Year 

1890, 

1891, 

1892, 

1893, 

1894*, 

1895, 

1896,t 


G I       Norfolk 

4,414 

10,868  8,179 
10,725 
22,625 
25,633 
31,194 


13,055 
11,150 
drouth 
24,343 
75,000 


orked-t* 
Total 

^-Granulated  sugar  produced  Ib^ 
G  I           Norfolk          Total 

r-  No  of  growers-^ 
G  I  Norfolk  Total 

— 

736,400 

— 

— 

607 

_ 



19,047 

1,415,800 

1,318,700 

3,734,500 

408 

204 

012 

33,78O 

2,110,100 

1,693,400 

3,803,500 

240 

490 

73O 

33,775 

1,835,900 

4,107,300 

5,943,3OO 

135 

181 

316 

35,633 

— 

5,556,100 

5,556,100 

_ 

534 

534 

55,537 

2,983,400 

5,395,500 

8,378,900 

619 

698 

1317 

75,OOO 

— 

— 

15,OOO,OOO 

— 

— 

3OOO 

*General  droxith  made  tonnage  so  small  in  1894  that  the  beets  belonging  to  the  Grand  Island  factory" 
district  were  worked  up  at  the  Norfolk  factory,    t  Partly  estimated. 

The  average  yield  last  year  was  10  to  12  tons  per  acre,  but  some  experienced  grow- 
ers on  richly  manured  bottom  land  had  from  18  to  25  tons  per  •  acre,  and  even  more. 
Growers  of  beets  for  these  factories  are  more  or  less  scattered  over  the  state,  and 
much  of  the  crop  has  to  be  hauled  by  rail.  The  freight  is  30c  per  ton  for  distances  of 
25  miles  or  less,  50c  for  25  to  45  miles,  and  80c  for  45  to  100  miles,  the  rate  being  a  lit- 
tle higher  on  another  railroad,  which  exacts  an  additional  charge  of  $2  per  car  for 
switching.  The  cars  are  loaded  to  their  visible  capacity.  The  factories  paid  .about 
$300,000  for  beets  in '96,  or  $35  to  $75  per  acre  and  even  more  in  a  few  instances. 
Renters  pay  $8  to  $10  per  acre  per  year  for  choice  beet  land. 

But  for  the  splendid  and  persistent  work  of  the  Nebraska  experiment  station  (es- 
pecially H.  H.  Nicholson),  which  conducted  tests  in  all  parts  of  the  state  and  made 
thousands  of  analyses,  and  even  conducted  a  sugar  school,  the  present  assured  posi- 
tion of  the  business  in  Nebraska  could  not  have  been  reached.  The  station  has  made 
10,000  analyses,  the  average  of  all  being  over  14  per  cent  of  sugar  in  Nebraska  beets. 
It  is  now  certain  that  only  moisture  and  proper  culture  are  needed  to  enable  the 
beet  to  be  grown  to  perfection  in  almost  any  part  of  the  state.  There  is  a  great 
demand  for  beet-sugar  factories  in  almost  every  county  in  Nebraska. 

UTAH. 

Keen  interest  is  felt  in  the  beet-sugar  industry  all  over  this  state,  O'ving  t^  the 
established  success  of  the  (at  present)  only  sugar  factory  in  the  whole  inter-mountain 
region  of  the  United  States,  at  Lehi,  a  few  miles  south  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 
Beets  for  sugar  manufacturing  can  be  ruined  by  a  superabundance  of  moisture  just  at 
the  ripening  period.  As  sugar  beets  can  be  grown  here  only  by  irrigation,  the  indus- 
try at  the  outset  was  surrounded  by  new  and  peculiar  conditions.  The  knowledge 
and  science  of  beet  growing  (it  is  a  science)  were  obtained  from  experts  from  Cali- 


50  THE    SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

fornia,  but  they  were  ignorant  of  the  methods  of  irrigation,  so  it  required  the  com- 
bined knowledge  of  the  experienced  beet  growers  of  California  and  the  skillful  irriga- 
tors  of  Utah  to  successfully  produce  our  first  crop  of  sugar  beets.  But  the  problem 
has  been  most  happily  solved,  and  to-day  Utah  produces  sugar  beets  that  are  fast  ap- 
proaching in  quality  those  of  the  oldest  beet-growing  countries. 

The  growing  of  this  plant  is  a  departure   from  the  usual  methods  of  farming    as 
practiced  by  the  ordinary  farmer,  in  that  no  part  of  it  can  be  neglected,  or  even  done 


MAP  OF  EASTERN  NEBRASKA 

Showing  location  of  the  two  beet  sugar  factories  at  Norl'ork  and  Grand 
Island,  and  principal  points  at  which  beets  are  grown  for  shipment.  (From 
Bulletin  44,  Nebraska  experiment  station  at  Lincoln.) 

f'n  a  haphazard  sort  of  manner,  without  sacrificing  the  crop.  It  requires  intensive 
cultivation  in  every  sense,  but  it  pays  well,  a  larger  cash  return  beins  obtained  from 
one  acre  of  beets  than  from  three  acres  of  grain.  As  the  farmers  gradually  become 
more  familiar  with  the  crop,  they  steadily  increase  the  yield  in  tons  per  acre  as  well 
as  the  sugar  quality  of  the  beet. 

The  farmers  of  Utah  for  the  first  two  years  took  hold  of  the  beet  industry  cau- 
tiously and  lightly,  preferring  to  carefully  test  its  merits  for  themselves  before  risk- 
ing too  much  on  a  new  crop.  There  were  some  failures  and  many  successes,  but  they 
soon  discovered  its  value,  and  the  increased  acreage  offered  since  then  has  been  so 
great  that  for  the  past  two  seasons  the  sugar  company  could  not  accept  it  all.  At  the 
present  writing  (March,  1896),  there  are  already  applications  for  over  1000  acres  of 
beets  more  than  can  be  accepted  for  the  coming  season  of  1896.  During  the  sugar 
campaign  just  closed,  the  Lehi  factory  received  33,108  tons  of  beets  from  3300  acres, 
an  average  of  11.54  tons  per  acre;  300  acres  averaged  about  7  tons,  2000  acres  about  11 


58 


THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


1891 

1892 

1893 

1894 

1895 

1,500 

1,500 

2,755 

2,850 

3,300 

9,960 

9,816 

26,800 

32,694 

38,108 

6.6 

6.5 

9.7 

11.47 

11.54 

11.0 

11.8 

11.6 

12.7 

13.5 

80.0 

80.0 

79.5 

80.2 

81.5 

1,452 

1,534 

2,250 

2.913 

3,116 

1,162 

1,227 

1,719 

2,336 

2,539 

Oct  12 

Sept  26 

Sept  19 

Sept  25 

Sept  5 

Dec8 

Novl3 

Dec  21 

Jan  5 

Dec  31 

58 

49 

94 

103 

118 

tons,  while  the  remaining  1000  acres  made  about  14  tons  per  acre  of  trimmed  beets 
delivered  at  factory.  At  $4.25  per  ton,  the  farmers  got  nearly  $162,000  for  the  crop, 
from  which  was  made  nearly  7,500,000  Ibs  of  refined  granulated  white  sugar.  Com- 
pared with  the  previous  years  the  following 

TABLE  SHOWS   THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  INDUSTRY  IN   UTAH. 

Acres  of  beets  grown, 

Tons  of  beets  produced, 

Average  yield  of  beets  per  acre,  tons, 

Per  cent  of  sugar  In  beets, 

Purity  of  sugar,  per  cent, 

*Crude  sngar  per  acre,  Ibs, 

*Pure  sugar  per  acre,  Ibs, 

Began  making  sugar, 

Finished  making  sugar, 

Days  in  operation, 

*Estimates  added  by  the  author  as  matters  of  interest.  About  45,000  tons  of  beets  were  worked  in 
1896,  for  which  $4.25  per  ton  was  paid,  or  a  total  of  about  $190,000;  paid  for  labor  at  factory  about  $35,000, 
for  coal  $30,000  and  for  other  supplies  $25,000. 

The  methods  of  manufacture  have  practically  reached  the  same  degree  of  perfec- 
tion in  the  successful  factories  of  this  country  as  they  have  in  Europe,  showing  that 
the  essential  factor  for  the  success  of  the  beet-sugar  industry  of  America  is  the  beet 
root  itself.  The  factory  at  Lehi,  Utah,  was  the  first  one  to  be  planned  and  constructed 
by  Americans  and  equipped  throughout  with  American  machinery.  It  certainly  lias- 
many  features  of  excellence  to  commend  it  over  the  European  factories.  The  machin- 
ery of  itself  is  more  effective  in  many  ways,  and  its  arrangement  is  such  that  there  is 
a  saving  of  at  least  one-fourth  the  number  of  hands  required  in  a  European  factory 
of  the  same  capacity.  During  our  campaign  of  1895,  out  of  which  113  days  were  oc- 
cupied in  cutting  and  working  beets,  it  worked  an  average  of  337j  tons  per  day,  with 
a  factory  of  only  30QJ;ons  guaranteed  capacity.  As  appears  from  the  table  above,  the 
length  of  a  beet-sugar  campaign  is  necessarily  limited  to  a  few  weeks  after  the  har- 
vesting period,  for  the  beets  cannot  be  kept  very  long  without  so  deteriorating  as  to 
be  unprofitable  for  manufacturing  purposes,  The  total  yearly  expenses,  therefore,  of 
an  investment  of  from  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  a  million  of  dollars,  have  to  be 
made  during  a  campaign  of  90  to  110  days. 

The  engravings  herewith,  from  photographs  taken  especially  for  this  work,  give 
an  admirable  insight  into  this  Utah  enterprise.  It  was  projected  by  men  of  Utah, 
who  furnished  all  of  the  $600,000  invested  in  the  plant,  with  its  1000  acres  of  land, 
with  silos  and  pits  for  pulp  and  yards  for  feeding  it  to  stock.  Many  shares  in  the 
factory  are  owned  among  the  farmers,  and  it  is  in  that  sense  co-operative.  The  two 
principal  buildings  are  entirely  of  brick,  the  walls  being  two  feet  thick,  the  founda- 
tion laid  deep,  and  the  piers  sustaining  the  main  weight  of  the  machinery  being  solid 
masonry  resting  on  bed  rock.  The  main  building  is  180x84  feet,  three  stories 
high.  The  annex  is  184x60  feet.  In  the  latter  building  are  contained  ten 
horizontal  tubular  boilers,  with  a  generating  capacity  of  100  horse  power 
each;  twenty  large  char-filters,  char  kiln  with  all  the  necessary  apparatus  for 
revivifying  the  bone  charcoal,  and  the  lime  kiln,  which  treats  about  seventeen  tons  of 
lime  rock  each  24  hours,  the  carbonic  acid  gas  having  to  be  retained  from  the  lime,  as 
it  is  necessary  in  the  manufacture  of  sugar.  All  the  ground  floors  are  solid  concrete 


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60  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

and  all  the  buildings  are  lighted  with  electric  lights,  which  is  generated  on  the  prem- 
ises. There  are  two  sugar  store  warehouses ;  one  75x40  feet,  the  other  125x40  feet,  the 
total  capacity  of  which  is  40, 000  bags  of  sugar.  The  total  weight  of  machinery  is 
upwards  of  1000  tons. 

So  prosperous  has  Lehi  become  that  in  1896  there  was  not  a  single  delinquent  tax- 
payer. This  is  a  remarkable  fact  for  any  town,  but  especially  for  a  western  commu- 
nity which  has  more  or  less  "floating"  population.  But  the  Lehi  people  are  "stay- 
ers' '  since  the  sugar  industry  is  established. 

NEW  MEXICO. 

The  Pecos  Valley  Beet  Sugar  Co  established  a  factory  at  Eddy,  New  Mexico,  late 
in  1896,  and  are  planning  for  a  700->ton  plant  75  miles  north  of  that  place,  to  be  erected 
this  year.  The  Eddy  plant  was  late  in  starting,  and  from  Nov  25  to  Jan  1,  '97,  re- 
ceived 3706  tons  of  beets  and  the  total  supply  was  about  18,000  tons.  Many  farmers 
irrigated  too  much  and  others  did  not  cultivate  properly,  but  in  spite  of  these  obsta- 
cles the  first  crop  averaged  about  12  tons  per  acre  on  the  1500  acres  grown,  while  some 
fields,  properly  worked,  made  nearly  20  tons  per  acre,  the  range  in  yield  running  gen- 
erally from  8  to  16  tons  per  acre.  The  sugar  content  ranged  from  14  to  21  per  cent  and 
over  80  purity,  and  the  average  for  the  total  tonnage  will  "probably  be  close  to  16  per 
cent."  Enough  has  been  done  to  indicate  that  the  arid  southwest  is  likely  to  prove 
well  adapted  to  the  sugar  beet.  In  spite  of  the  unusual  winter  weather,  in  spite  of  a 
late  start  in  making  sugar,  and  in  spite  of  all  the  numerous  obstacles  that  beset  such 
an  enterprise  the  first  season  in  a  new  country,  the  company  report  that  their  *  'most 
sanguine  expectations  are  being  realized."  Making  every  discount  possible  for  the 
claims  of  interested  parties,  it  is  evident  that  a  brilliant  start  has  been  made  for  the 
Pecos  Valley  sugar  industry.  Seldom,  if  ever,  has  an  enterprise  of  this  kind  in  the 
United  States  done  as  well  its  first  year. 

WISCONSIN. 

A  sugar  factory  was  erected  at  Menomonee  Falls,  Waukesha  Co,  Wis,  about  fifteen 
miles  northwest  of  Milwaukee,  in  1896.  The  enterprise  was  due  to  the  efforts  of  Mr 
K.  G.  Korn,  who  has  patiently  worked  for  years  to  develop  the  enterprise.  He  is 
the  general  manager,  having  entire  charge  of  designing  the  factory  and  building  and 
installing  the  machinery.  He  gave  his  time  to  the  work  without  pay  until  the  factory 
was  in  operation  and  had  the  machinery  built  at  machine  shops  in  Milwaukee.  On 
account  of  the  disturbance  in  financial  affairs,  the  factory  was  not  ready  for  business 
until  January,  '97,  but  it  had  nearly  18,000  tons  of  beets  in  silos  waiting  to  be  manu- 
factured into  sugar,  as  illustrated  and  described  on  Page  61.  The  campaign  closed  late 
in  March,  '97,  with  a  satisfactory  run  up  to  latest  reports.  The  greatest  difficulty  Mr 
Korn  found  was  to  get  farmers  to  grow  the  beets,  but  after  an  18-months'  canvass  he 
succeeded  in  getting  a  ten  years'  contract  for  growing  2500  acres  of  beets  from  350 
farmers  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles  of  the  factory.  The  contract  agrees  to  pay  $4 
per  ton  for  all  beets  testing  12  per  cent  sugar,  $5  for  those  testing  16  per  cent,  and  an 
annual  premium  of  $50  for  the  best  grown  field  of  beets.  An  average  test  from  several 
of  the  largest  crops  of  '96  show  from  12|  to  13i  per  cent  sugar,  and  it  is  believed  that 


62  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

the  yield  will  average  12  to  14  tons  per  acre;  many  raised  15  to  18  tons  per  acre,  and 
one  crop  made  23  tons  of  good  beets  per  acre.  The  factory,  illustrated  on  Page  61, 
has  a  capacity  of  275  tons  of  beets  per  day  of  24  hours. 

This  factory  is  the  outcome  of  elaborate  inquiries  conducted  by  the  Wisconsin  ex- 
periment station  that  show  almost  the  entire  state  to  be  wonderfully  adapted  to  the 
sugar  beet.  The  beet  ripens  ordinarily  by  Sept  15  or  20,  and  until  Nov  10  there  is 
little  danger  from  cold,  but  after  that  silos  will  tbe  necessary  if  a  factory  is  to  run 
much  over  60  days.  Hundreds  of  pounds  of  beets  have  been  grown  all  over  the  state 
and  analyzed  at  the  station,  showing  total  averages  of  from  12|  to  14|  per  cent  of 
sugar,  while  many  samples  ran  up  to  18  per  cent  and  the  co-efficient  of  purity  aver- 
aged over  80.  The  Vilmorin  gave  the  richest  sugar  and  the  Despez  Kichest  the  next. 
As  a  result  of  all  this  work,  there  is  a  deep  interest  in  the  sugar  question. 

OTHER   STATES. 

So  much  fo**  results  in  states  in  which  beet  sugar  factories  are  already  in  opera- 
tion. In  many  other  states  much  work  has  been  done  in  growing  beets  to  test  the 
adaptability  of  the  soil  to  this  crop.  Thousands  of  analyses  have  been  made  by  the 
United  States  department  of  agriculture  and  by  several  of  the  state  experiment  sta 
tions.  It  is  evident  from  all  this  work  during  the  past  ten  years  that  beets  can  be 
commercially  grown  at  a  profit  over  most  of  the  vast  area  indicated  in  Map  No  3, [fron- 
tispiece— from  the  Hudson  to  the  Pacific,  from  the  Carolinas  to  the  Lakes.  We  do 
not  advocate  the  industry  for  New  England,  because  the  limited  areas  suitable  for 
beet  culture  can  hardly  compete  with  the  wider  areas  and  more  fertile  soils  of  the 
middle  and  western  states. 

NEW  YORK — We  did  nothing  in  the  way  of  testing  sugar  beets  in  1895.  In  the 
spring  of  1894,  we  sent  out  45  packages  of  seeds  to  the  various  counties  of  the  state. 
The  following  table  sets  forth  in  brief  the  average  weight  of  beets,  the  average  yield 
per  acre,  the  per  cent  of  sugar  and  the  average  yield  per  acre  of  sugar  of  three  varie- 
ties in  1894: 

Average  Average  Average  Average 

Weight  in  ounces        yield  in  tons       %  sugar        yield  of  sugar 

Variety  per  beet  per  acre  per  acre 

Mette,  32.76  26.5  10.05        5326.5  Ibs  2.66  tons 

Vilmorin's  Imperial,  34.16  34  6.92        4705       "    2.35     " 

D  K'wanz,  30.59  24.77  9.38        4246.5    "    2.12     " 

Average  of  all,  32.50  28.42  8.78        4759.4  Ibs  2.37  tons 

These  plots  were  small,  and  it  is  to  be  supposed  that  the  yield  was  much  larger 
than  could  have  been  secured  on  large  areas  and  that  the  beets  selected  were  larger 
than  the  average.  During  the  season  the  beets  stopped  growing  in  midsummer,  and 
became  nearly  ripe.  Fall  rains  started  them  "to  growing  most  vigorously  and  they 
put  out  new  leaves,  which  without  doubt  greatly  diminished  the  sugar  content.  The 
largest  yield  (D.  K'wanz)  was  56  tons  per  acre  with  8.5  per  cent  of  sugar.  The  next 
largest  (Vilmorin's  Imp)  was  54  tons  with  5.05  per  cent  sugar.  Westchester  county 
reported  a  yield  of  12  tons  and  12. 7  per  cent  sugar  of  the  variety  Vilmorin's  Im- 
proved, and  Seneca  county  6  tons  with  5.7  per  cent  sugar.  The  yields  and  per  cent 
of  sugar  were  extremely  variable.  In  1893,  eight  plots  of  Dippe's  Kleinwanzlebener, 
in  various  counties,  gave  an  average  of  21  tons  with  12.86  per  cent  sugar.  Twelve 


04  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

plots  of  Knauer's  Imperial,  variously  distributed,  gave  an  average  of  26  tons  with 
12.5  per  cent  sugar.  Seven  plots  of  Vilmorin's  Richest  gave  14  tons  with  13.2  per 
cent  sugar.  Clay  soils  gave  13  tons  with  12.5  per  cent  of  sugar  (all  varieties);  clay 
loam  22  tons  with  13.1  per  cent  sugar,  and  sandy  loarn  and  gravel  28  tons  with  12.  6 
per  cent  sugar.  We  now  have  two  imported  varieties  growing  which  will  be  tested 
Liter.— [Prof  I.  P.  Roberts,  director  of  Cornell  agricultural  experiment  station  and 
professor  of  agriculture  in  Cornell  university. 

MIDDLE  STATES — Comparatively  little  has  been  done  m  Pennsylvania.  In  New 
Jersey,  Maryland  and  Delaware,  no  proper  tests  in  beet  culture  have  been  made  re- 
cently, but  good  beets  were  grown  in  the  70' s,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  the  crop 
should  not  thrive  on  certain  soils  properly  fertilized,  Recent  Maryland  tests  have  not 
given  promising  results. 

OHIO— The  experiment  station  has  done  little  in  this  line,  but  private  tests  are 
encouraging,  and  thousands  will  be  made  in  1897. 

MISSOURI— Jn  1890,  on  upland  limestone  clay  loam  of  average  fertility  in  Boone 
county,/  yield  per  acre  highest  19  tons,  lowest  12,  average  15;  sugar,  highest  18  per 
cent,  lowest  10,  average  14.  In  1891,  same  farm,  yield  8  to  12  tons,  average  10;  sugar 
7  to  14  per  cent,  average  Hi.  In  '92, tests  were  made  in  live  northwestern  counties, 
northeast  nine  counties,  southwest  five,  southeast  one  county,  representing  seven  dif- 
ferent varieties  and  55  samples:  Per  cent  of  sugar  in  beets,  highest  19,  lowest  4.6, 
average  9.8;  purity,  47.5  to  79.3  per  cent,  averaging  67.3.  These  varieties  at  the  sta- 
tion in  Boone  county  that  year  yielded  9  to  12  tons  per  acre,  mean  8.8  tons;  per  cent 
of  sugar  7  to  13,  average  11;  purity  65  to  75,  average  70.  Director  Waters  says : 
"Results  thus  far  not  encouraging,  soil  much  too  compact  and  hard;  Missouri  lies 
south  of  best  sugar  belt,  menu  summer  temperature  6  per  cent  higher  than  in 
counties  producing  this  crop  most  successfully. "  We  suggest  much  more  work  for 
several  seasons  before  throwing  Missouri  out  of  the  sugar  belt. 

OKLAHOMA— Little  work  done.  Director  Morrow  "believes  climatic  conditions 
give  little  prospect  of  success."  But  if  beets  do  wonders  in  Pecos  valley,  N  M,  they 
ought  to  be  tested  thoroughly  in  Oklahoma.  This  also  applies  to  Indian  Territory. 

KANSAS— Many  plots  of  sugar  beets  grown  at  state  experiment  stations  at  Man- 
hattan and  other  parts  of  state,  '90-2.  First  year  not  conclusive;  300  tests  in  56  coun- 
ties were  unsatisfactory  in  '91,  owing  to  climatic  conditions.  For  '92,  the  station  and 
85  farmers  over  the  state  raised  beets,  but  the  season  was  again  unfavorable  and  the 
results  "cannot  be  regarded  as  lending  great  encouragement  to  the  hope  of  the  suc- 
cessful establishment  of  the  beet-sugar  industry  in  this  state.  There  are,  however,  a 
considerable  number  of  samples  showing  a  high  percentage  of  sugar."  More  work  is 
needed  and  evidently  irrigation  or  other  insurance  against  drouth  is  required. 

SOUTH  DAKOTA— Experiments  were  conducted  in  every  county,  1889-93,  results  in 
four  bulletins,  of  which  Nos  27  and  34  can  still  be  supplied.  Yield  10  to  over  40  tons 
of  beets  per  acre  on  acre  plots  running  from  15  to  20  tons  as  a  fair  average;  sugar 
content  9  to  20  per  cent,  very  few  samples  below  12  mostly  13  to  16  per  cent,  three- 
quarters  of  all  samples  showing  16  per  cent  sugar  or  more.  Chemist  J.  II.  Shepard 


60  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

concludes:  "The  state  is  well  adapted  to  sugar-beet  culture,  tonnage  very  high,  pu- 
rity co-efficient  quite  satisfactory,  averaging  about  85. " 

NORTH  DAKOTA— E.  F.  Ladd,  chemist,  reports  analyses  of  beets  grown  in  '91 
from  129  farms  in  all  parts  of  state,  yielding  estimated  average  of  13  tons  per  acre, 
containing  7  to  18  per  cent  sugar,  average  11.43,  purity  46  to  98.  In  '92,  Prof  Ladd 
believed  other  crops  would  be  more  profitable  in  most  of  the  states;  his  letter  in  the 
fall  of  '9(5  expresses  no  opinion.  But  further  private  tests  and  experiments,  in  Utah, 
Nebraska  and  Wisconsin,  prove  beyond  question  that  the  beet  sugar  industry  can  be 
made  a  great  success  in  most  parts  of  North  Dakota. 

MICHIGAN — Tests  were  made  all  over  the  state  in  1891.  Season  was  unfavorable, 
drouth  serious,  results  conflicting.  In  western  counties  28  farmers  reported  an  aver- 
age of  15  tons  of  beets  per  acre  containing  over  14  per  cent  sugar;  southeast,  21  re- 
ports averaged  16i  tons  and  13!  per  cent  sugar;  central,  40  reports  averaged  13  tons  of 
14i  per  cent  sugar;  northeastern,  49  reports  averaged  15  tons  and  loi  per  cent  sugar. 
This  makes  a  promising  outlook  for  both  farmer  and  manufacturer,  especially  in 
southern  Michigan.  See  Bulletin  382,  Experiment  Station,  Agricultural  College  P  O. 

INDIANA — About  300  analyses  reported  (by  H  A.Huston,  chemist)  of  beets  grown 
in  150  different  localities  all  over  the  state  in  1889-94,  show  highest  yields  of  12  to  42 
tons  per  acre,  lowest  3  to  13  tons;  sugar, in  juice,  highest  14  to  18  per  cent,  lowest  5 
to  10;  purity,  highest  87  to  90,  lowest  58  to  70.  Small  plot  tests  prior  to  '94;  that 
year,  ten  fields  of  i  to  1  acre  averaged  19  tons  per  acre,  and  half  of  these  fields  gave 
beets  of  quality  sufficient  for  sugar  manufacture.  Chemist  Huston  adds:  "Beets  of 
satisfactory  quality  can  be  grown  in  all  parts  of  Indiana.  With  one  exception,  all 
correspondents  who  have  raised  beets  in  large  plots  believe  that  at  $4  per  ton  this 
crop  would  pay  a  profit."  H.  Cordez,  who  has  been  working  for  two  years  to  estab- 
lish a  factory  near  Evansville,  southern  Indiana,  obtained  15|  and  16  per  cent  sugar 
of  85  to  90  purity  in  small  plot  tests  in  '96. 

ILLINOIS— Because  farmers  failed  to  raise  enough  beets  to  run  the  factory  at 
Freeport  many  years  ago,  and  because  on  some  soils  the  crop  did  not  seem  to  thrive, 
the  impression  has  gone  out  that  this  state  could  not  grow  beets.  The  experiment 
station  has  done  very  little  to  ascertain  the  truth.  Until  the  matter  has  been  as 
widely  tested  as  in  Minnesota  or  Wisconsin,  correct  judgment  cannot  be  formed. 
Until  such  tests  prove  to  the  contrary,  we  shall  believe  Illinois  has  thousands  of  acres 
that  can  be  readily  adapted  to  this  crop. 

MINNESOTA  (Prof  Henry  Snyder) — It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  state  experiment 
station  to  test,  in  as  thorough  and  impartial  a  way  as  possible,  the  adaptability  of 
Minnesota's  soil  and  climate  to  the  growing  of  sugar  beets.  The  work  has  been  car- 
ried on  for  eight  years,  during  which  time  1079  samples  of  sugar  beets  have  been  ana- 
lyzed, showing  of  sugar  10  to  20  per  cent,  an  average  of  14  per  cent;  purity  70  to  94, 
an  average  of  80|.  The  beets  have  been  grown  in  a  large  number  of  counties  through- 
out the  state.  It  is  believed  that  the  experiment  station  has  demonstrated  that  sugar 
beets,  with  a  high  per  cent  of  sugar  and  co-efficient  of  purity,  can  ba  raised  in  Min- 
nesota, at  a  cost  of  $2  to  $3  per  ton.  The  average  yield  per  acre  was  15  tons. 

IOWA — For  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  by  repeated  experimentation  how  well 
Iowa  is  adapted  to  growing  sugar  beets,  we  began  in  1891  and  have  grown  and  tested: 


68  THE  SUGAR  IKDtJSTBY. 

sugar  beets  every  year  since  that  time.  We  have  probably  three  or  four  acres  grow- 
ing on  the  station  grounds  at  present.  Seed  has  been  sent  to  a  majority  of  the  coun- 
ties of  the  state,  so  as  to  give  us  wide  and  comprehensive  reports  regarding  the  abil- 
ity of  our  state  in  its  several  counties  to  grow  beets  with  a  sufficient  percentage  of 
sugar  to  make  the  industry  profitable. 

We  also,  in  1891,  conducted  an  experiment  on  the  college  grounds  with  a  piece  of 
land  over  an  acre  in  extent,  having  different  kinds  of  soil  and  treated  different  ways, 
so  as  to  ascertain  what  soil  is  best  and  what  method  of  cultivation  is  advisable. 
From  the  whole  field,  we  got  an  average  of  20  tons  to  the  acre  with  14.14  per  cent 
sugar  in  the  beets,  and  76  per  cent  average  purity  of  juice.  We  grew  this  field  of 
beets  under  twelve  different  conditions.  We  used  different  kinds  of  fertilizers  on 
three  pieces,  but  got  no  evident  benefit;  we  got  our  highest  average  of  sugar  from 
the  piece  of  ground  from  which  woods  had  been  cleared  off,  15.17  per  cent  of  sugar 
with  82.3  purity  of  juice.  We  let  one  part  of  the  field  on  low,  rich  loam  grow  the 
beets  as  large  as  we  could  possibly  grow  them  by  thinning  them  out;  the  average  pu- 
rity of  juice  went  down  to  72.8  and  the  sugar  in  the  beet  was  11.52.  Only  three  of 
the  twelve  conditions  gave  us  sugar  in  the  beet  under  13  per  cent.  We  got  the  great- 
est tonnage  from  early  planting;  subsoiling  gave  us  the  best  shaped  beets.  The  per- 
centage of  sugar  was  affected  by  rains  in  October  causing  a  second  growth.  Our  high- 
est analyses  came  from  beets  averaging  13  ounces  trimmed,  and  yielding  12  and  13 
tons  per  acre;  our  highest  yield  of  sugar  per  acre  came  from  beets  averaging  21 
•ounces  trimmed,  and  yielding  over  28  tons  to  the  acre.  Clay  soil  gave  us  the  highest 
per  cent  of  sugar,  comparatively  higher  purity,  and  lowest  tonnage  per  acre.  We  had 
no  distinctively  sandy  soil. 

Reports  from  different  counties  in  the  state  show  a  wide  range  of  sugar  per  cent 
and  purity  co-efficient.  The  highest  we  have  received  comes  from  Muscatine  county; 
over  a  hundred  farmers  reported  from  that  county  in  1891.  About  10  per  cent  re- 
ported a  sugar  per  cent  under  12,  while  half  of  the  number  report  the  sugar  in  the 
beet  over  15  per  cent,  and  some  run  as  high  as  19  per  cent. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  a  large  araa  within  the  state  will  grow  sugar  beets  profita- 
bly. The  purity  of  the  juice  is  not  as  high  in  our  state  in  all  parts  as  it  is  in  others, 
ibut  the  yield  per  acre  has  much  to  do  with  the  profitableness  of  the  crop,  and  from 
;  reports  of  the  growth  of  beets  west  of  us,  I  am  satisfied  that  our  tonnage  is  much 
heavier  than  is  common  in  drier  states.  Iowa  soil  is  so  well  supplied  with  plant  food 
of  all  kinds,  organic  and  mineral,  that  no  fertilization  is  required.  We  sent  to  Louis- 
iana and  got  the  most  approved  sugar-cane-growing  fertilizers,  but  were  unable  to  see 
any  improvement  whatever  from  their  application.  Our  sqil  has  abundant  lime,  pot 
ash,  phosphoric  acid  and  nitrogenous  compounds,  so  that  apparently  only  capital 
and  skill  are  necessary  to  make  all  of  the  sugar  in  Iowa  that  the  United  States  may 

require. [James  Wilson,  (Director  Iowa  experiment  station  ;  Professor  of  Agriculture 

Iowa  Agricultural  college;  Secretary  of  Agriculture  for  the  United  States— 1897-1901). 

IN   THE  WEST. 

There  is  no  longer  a  shadow  of  a  doubt  as  to  the  adaptability  of  vast  areas  to  the 
«ugar  beet,  although  it  is  true  that  more  extended  experiments  are  necessary  in  some 
sections  to  further  demonstrate  the  quantity  and  quality  that  can  be  raised.  Espe- 


70  THE    SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

cially  is  this  true  in  Montana,  where  practically  nothing  was  done  in  this  line  until 
the  past  year.  In  Wyoming,  on  the  other  hand,  many  tests  were  made  1891-5,  show- 
ing average  yields  of  from  8  to  14  tons  per  acre,  an  average  sugar  content  of  from  16 
to  17  per  cent  with  from  78  to  83  purity.  Summarizing  all  this  work  done  by  the 
state  experiment  station  at  Laramie,  Prof  Buffum  concludes  that  "the  yield  averages 
sufficient  to  make  it  a  profitable  crop,  while  the  beets  are  of  better  quality  than  in 
many  states  where  factories  are  successfully  operated." 

In  Colorado,  more  than  50  localities  have  grown  beets  and  the  conditions  have 
proven  favorable  everywhere  under  7000  ft  altitude,  though  best  under  6000  ft,  when 
the  ground  and  crop  are  properly  handled.  Co-efficient  of  purity  is  good.  The  yield 
runs  from  10  to  15  per  cent  of  sucrose,  averaging  fully  13  per  cent,  and  under  proper 
conditions  much  more  than  that.  Results  in  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Utah  and  Cali- 
fornia have  already  been  enumerated. 

In  Idaho,  the  yield  runs  from  10  to  26  tons  per  acre  with  a  large  sugar  content  of 
high  purity.  In  Washington,  very  fortunately,  a  great  number  of  experiments 
have  been  conducted  in  most  parts  of  the  state  under  the  auspices  of  the  state  exper- 
iment station  at  Pullman.  Over  1700  analyses  have  been  made,  showing  an  average  of 
more  than  15  per  cent  sugar  of  nearly  84  purity.  The  beets  from  almost  every  county 
closely  approximate  this  standard.  It  is  a  remarkable  showing  and  demonstrates  be- 
yond a  peradventure  that  the  state  of  Washington  is  singularly  adapted  to  the  indus- 
try. The  average  yield  per  acre  is  not  reported,  but  Prof  Fulmer  says:  "It  is  proba- 
ble that  an  average  of  20  tons  per  acre  would  be  a  conservative  estimate."  Allowing 
for  the  extraordinary  richness  of  Washington  soil,  it  is  probable  that  this  is  rather 
high.  In  Oregon,  tests  were  conducted  for  three  years  1891-3,  and  again  last  year, 
showing  that  beets  raised  under  all  sorts  of  conditions  varied  from  8  to  22i  per  cent 
sugar  in  the  juice  of  above  80  purity.  Prof  G.  W.  Shaw's  analysis  of  beets  grown  by 
an  expert  in  Washington  county  the  past  year  averaged  16|  to  nearly  18  per  cent 
sugar  of  88  to  91  purity,  and  even  after  the  second  rains  in  the  fall  these  beets  aver- 
aged over  12  and  80.  Prof  Shaw  believes  that  even  west  of  the  Cascade  mountains, 
the  earlier  crops  of  beets  would  be  harvested  before  the  fall  rains  start  a  second 
growth,  and  that  even  in  that  region  as  well  as  east  of  it,  the  state  is  wonderfully 
adapted  to  the  sugar  beet. 

•  IN   THE   SOUTH. 

VIRGINIA— Mr  O.  K.  Lapam,  who  operated  a  small  factory  at  Staunton,  Va,  for  two 
or  three  seasons,  until  it  was  burned,  is  enthusiastic  over  the  possibilities  of  the  indus- 
try in  this  section.  The  bee^s  averaged  14  to  14|  per  cent  of  sugar  and  yielded  an  aver- 
age of  from  12  to  13  tons  per  acre,  at  a  cost  of  from  $10  to  $40  per  acre  including  delivery 
of  beets  to  factory  and  fertilizers  as  well  as  all  other  expenses.  He  estimates  the  aver- 
age cost  at  $25  to  $30  per  acre  in  the  south  when  beets  are  grown  within  five  miles  of 
the  factory.  At  $4  per  ton  and  an  average  of  12|  tons  per  acre,  the  income  would  be 
$50  per  acre.  To  this  should  be  added  six  tons  of  pulp,  worth  to  the  farmer  $2  per  ton 
or  $12  per  acre,  while  the  improvement  of  his  land  by  deep  tillage  and  thorough  de- 
struction of  weeds  is  at  least  $5  more.  The  crop  which  follows  beets  will  yield  50  per 


THE   BEET   SUGAlt   INDUSTRY.  71 

cent  more  than  on  the  same  land  not  having  been  previously  used  for  beets.  Mr 
Lapham  " knows  of  no  industry  more  needed  in  the  south  than  this  to  improve  the 
land,  while  insuring  a  sure  and  profitable  return  to  the  farmer,  and  incidentally 
benefiting  all  classes  connected  with  it." 

In  North  Carolina,  sugar  beets  have  not  been  tested  since  '87-8,  when  the  results 
were  discouraging.  Director  H.  B.  Battle  of  the  experiment  station  at  Kaleigh  says  : 
"Should  there  be  a  demand  for  the  produce  for  manufacturing  sugar,  the  cultivation 
could  be  rapidly  and  successfully  developed." 

In  Kentucky,  Director  M.  A.  Scovell  of  the  experiment  station  at  Lexington  is 
not  hopeful  of  results,  owing  to  the  comparatively  low  sugar  content,  but  H.  Cordez 
cultivated  three  kinds  of  sugar  beets  on  an  alluvial  soil  in  Green  River  valley,  west- 
ern Kentucky,  in  '96,  which  showed  16  to  17!  per  cent  sugar  of  more  than  80  degrees 
purity,  and  he  is  very  confident  that  the  crop  will  thrive  over  much  of  this  state. 

In  Tennessee,  Secretary  Vanderford  of  the  state  experiment  station  at  Knoxville, 
writes:  "I  am  satisfied  that  there  are  areas  of  considerable  extent  in  all  divisions  of 
the  state,  and  particularly  in  west  Tennessee,  where  sugar  beets  of  more  than  aver- 
age sucrose  content  and  of  high  purity  can  be  grown  at  an  average  cost  of  $3  per 
ton  or  less.  Under  adverse  conditions,  upon  an  unsuitable  soil  on  our  station  farm, 
we  have  demonstrated  that  sugar  beets  can  be  made  profitable  in  Tennessee. ' ' 

The  Arkansas  station  reports  having  grown  sugar  beets  in  three  parts  of  the  state 
but  the  yield  and  sugar  content  were  varying  and  unsatisfactory.  "The  temperature 
is  hardly  suitable  in  this  state,  except  perhaps  in  the  northwestern  part,"  say  Direc- 
tor Bennett,  but  we  would  suggest  more  exhaustive  inquiry  before  accepting  the  ac- 
curacy of  this  opinion. 

Prof  W.  C.  Stubbs  writes:  "it  is  doubtful  whether  the  sugar  beet  can  be  grown 
south  of  the  Ohio  river  with  profit.  Our  experiments  in  Louisiana  have  clearly 
shown  that  no  reliance  can  be  placed  on  the  sugar  beet  crop  in  this  state.  This  is  due 
to  the  fact  that  frequently  beets  are  planted  here  in  the  fall  and  are  grown  throughout 
the  entire  winter.  It  is  with  us  more  of  a  fall  and  winter  crop  than  a  summer  crop, 
and  since  sunshine  is  needed  to  elaborate  the  sugar,  it  is  rarely  that  we  find,  beets 
here  rich  in  saccharine  matter." 

No  tests  are  on  record  as  to  the  adaptability  of  the  soils  and  climates  of  northern 
Mississippi,  Alabama,  Georgia  c\nd  South  Carolina  to  the  sugar  beet,  although  it  is 
probable  that  the  crop  will  be  widely  tested  all  through  these  regions. 

In  Texas  rich  beets  are  raised  in  the  temperate  climate  of  the  semi-arid  region 
under  irrigation,  but  in  the  warmer  and  more  humid  part  cane  does  better,  as  beets 
here  are  poor  in  sugar. 

Certain  practical  men,  who  have  had  large  experience  in  sugar-beet  culture  and 
manufacture  in  this  country  and  who  are  also  acquainted  with  European  conditions, 
are  strong  in  the  belief  that  the  middle  south,  meaning  especially  Virginia,  West  Vir- 
ginia, Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  will  yet  prove  to  be  a  fine  location  for  the  beet  sugar 
industry,  because  of  the  long  season,  abundance  of  sunshine,  nearness  to  market 
and  other  conditions. 


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CHAPTER  III. 

CULTURE    OF    THE    SUGAR    BEET. 

'   <  -  *  ;  -•    •••„-•  j  ,  ( 

CLIMATIC   CONDITIONS. 

EETS  THRIVE  BEST  in  a  temperate  climate,  which  in 
the  United  States  covers  a  vast  area.  .While  the 
plant  develops  under  a  great  variety  of  weather  con- 
ditions, more  recent  experience  seems  to  confirm  in  a 
measure  the  previously  accepted  theory  that  the  sugar 
beet  as  a  rule  does  best  in  regions  where  the  average 
temperature  for  the  months  of  June,  July  and  Au- 
gust is  about  70 degrees  F.  This  isothermal  line  has- 
been  carefully  determined  by  the  United  States  de- 
partment of  agriculture  and  is  indicated  on  map  No  3. 
(See  frontispiece. )  Dr  Wiley  in  1890  regarded  the 

sugar  beet  belt  as  extending  about  100  miles  on  each  side  of  this  line.  Experience 
since  shows  that  the  area  adapted  to  this  crop  is  by  no  means  limited  to  this  belt  and 
that  it  is  far  larger  than  has  been  supposed.  The  map  referred  to  indicates  in  a 
general  way  the  area  in  which  both  soils  and  climates  can  be  found  peculiarly  adapt- 
ed to  the  sugar  beet. 

Sunshine  is  required  to  make  sugar.  Hence,  the  number  of  clear  and  sunshiny 
days  that  can  usually  be  depended  upon  in  any  section  is  an  important  consideration, 
which  has  not  been  sufficiently  emphasized  in  much  of  the  literature  heretofore  pub- 
lished. This  explains  the  advantage  of  many  parts  of  the  so-called  arid  west  for  this 
industry,  especially  California  and  the  Southwest. 

Another  important  climatic  Consideration  is  favorable  weather  during  the  ripen- 
ing and  harvesting  period.  Clear  sunshine,  absence  of  fogs  and  moisture,  are  impor- 
tant at  this  period.  We  have  seen  how  in  1895  a  fine  crop  of  sugar  beets  in  Nebraska 
was  almost  ruined  by  a  warm,  wet  spell  early  in  the  harvesting  time.  While  this  is 
unusual  in  many  of  the  eastern  and  central  states,  it  is  liable  to  occur  in  most  of  the 
country  east  of  the  100th  meridian.  Such  weather  starts  a  new  growth  of  the  beets 
that  consumes  the  sugar  or  changes  it  to  starch,  and  it  requires  several  days  of  sharp 
sunshine  and  warmth,  without  too  much  humidity,  to  restore  the  sugar  content. 

The  beet  must  also  have  sufficient  moisture  at  the  right  time  to  produce  the  best 
results.  This  moisture  must  come  either  from  the  rainfall,  from  irrigation  or  "the 
soil  must  be  of  that  peculiar  quality  that  will  allow  subterranean  moisture  to  reach 
the  rootlets  of  the  plant,"  which  is  the  case  in  parts  of  California  and  some  other 
states.  While  proper  cultivation  of  a  subsoil  soil  will  enable  the  beet  to  thrive  with 


74  THE   SUGAR  INDUSTRY. 

more  or  less  water,  Wiley  maintains  that  an  average  summer  precipitation  of  2  to  4 
inches  per  month  is  desirable.  Nebraska  experience  shows  that  a  good  crop  is  as- 
sured, provided  other  things  are  done  properly,  if  May  and  June  are  warm  and  not 
too  wet,  July  and  August  wet  and  not  too  hot,  September  and  October  warm  and 
dry. 

The  longer  the  season  the  more  favorable  to  this  industry,  in  California,  plant- 
ing begins  as  early  as  January  on  the  higher  and  dryer  soils  and  continues  until  June 
on  the  lower  and  more  moist  lands,  thus  maturing  the  crop  continually  from  about  the 
first  of  August  to  almost  the  new  year.  In  the  vicinity  of  Watsonville,  planting  of  the 
'97  crop  began  as  early  as  Jan  15,  while  the  last  of  the  '96  crop  was  hardly  out  of  the 
ground  on  the  last  day  of  the  year.  In  other  parts  of  the  country,  the  planting  has  to 
be  done  in  a  short  time,  usually  during  May,  because  the  ground  is  too  cold  and  later 
the  season  will  be  so  short  as  to  prevent  maturity  before  frost. 

Another  advantage  in  the  mild  climate  is  the  longer  period  of  harvesting.  As 
just  noted  in  California,  beets  may  be  harvested  during  the  last  five  months  of  the 
year,  whereas  in  most  other  sections,  the  digging  must  be  completed  before  hard 
frosts.  It  has  been  assumed  that  beets  would  keep  longer  in  the  mild  winter  of  Cali- 
fornia (where  frost  is  almost  unknown)  than  in  the  severe  winters  of  the  north  and 
east.  It  has  been  customary  to  keep  the  beets  in  cold  climates  in  silos  but  Utah  ex- 
perience during  the  winter  of  '96-7  indicates  that  such  protection  against  cold  may 
not  be  as  necessary  as  has  been  supposed.  This  point  is  further  discussed  under  the 
head  of  storing  beets.  Certain  it  is  that  a  climate  which  allows  a  factory  to  run  from 
100  to  150  days  in  ordinary  seasons  is  far  more  advantageous  than  sections  where  the 
mill  can  not  have  good  beets  to  run  on  more  than  80  or  100  days. 

VARIETIES  OF  BEETS. 

"All  kinds  of  sugar  beets  are  botanically  identical  with  the  common  garden  beet, 
Beta  vulgaris.  The  differences  in  varieties  have  arisen  by  reason  of  special  selection 
and  culture  producing  a  pure  strain  of  some  valuable  peculiarity  in  the  beet.  These 
accidental  valuable  qualities  by  careful  selection  have  become  fixed  and  are  associ- 
ated with  certain  external  properties  which  have  thus  come  to  be  regarded  as  distin- 
guishing characteristics. 

"The  shape  and  size  of  the  beet,  its  color,  the  character  of  its  foliage,  whether 
erect  or  spreading,  etc,  are  the  most  frequent  marks  of  distinction.  The  beets  are 
also  frequently  designated  by  the  names  of  those  who  have  developed  them,  or  by 
the  name  of  the  town  or  locality  in  Europe  in  which  they  have  been  grown,  or  by 
their  color. 

"Among  the  more  frequently  occurring  varieties  grown  in  Europe  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Vilmorin  Improved,  Klein  Wanzlebener,  Improved  Klein  Wanzlebener, 
White  Excelsior,  White  Imperial,  Simon  Le  Grande,  Florimond  and  Bulteau  Desprez 
Kichest,  Brabrant  Sugar  Beet,  Eose  Imperial,  White  Silesian,  etc, 

"The  two  varieties  which  have  been  most  widely  grown  in  this  country  are  the 
Vilmorin  Improved  and  the  Klein  Wanzlebener.  The  certainty  that  the  seed  has 
been  grown  according  to  the  most  scientific  methods  is  of  greater  importance  to  the 
beet  grower  than  the  variety.  The  beet  has  reached  such  a  high  state  of  perfection 


A  POOR   BEET, 

Of  large  size  and  great  tonnage  per  acre,  but 
deficient  in  sugar,  containing  much  woody 
fiber,  improperly  topped,  and  highly  undesirable 
for  factory  purposes.  Such  beets  weigh  4  to  6 
Ibs.  and  contain  5  to  8%  sugar. 


A  GOOD    BEET. 

This  beet  is  not  quite  so  fine  a  type  as  that 
shown  on  Page  32,  but  it  is  rich  in  sugar, 
containing  13  to  16%  or  more,  weighs  ll/2  to  2 
lbs.it  is  properly  topped,  and  is  just  what  the 
sugar  factory  wants. 


The  pictures  are  reproduced  from  Bulletin  13,  Nebraska  experiment  station. 


7G 


THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


as  to  make  the  least  degree  of  laxity  in  its  treatment  exceedingly  dangerous  to  its 
qualities." 

The  two  kinds  named  are  preferred  in  California,  Nebraska  prefers  Dippe  la  plus 
Eiche,  Dippe  Klein  Wanzlebener,  Original  Klein  Wanzlebener,  and  Vilmorhv  s  Im- 
proved White.  The  two  latter  varieties  are  mainly  grown  in  Utah. 

No  variety  of  sugar  beet  is  suited  to  all  conditions.  Different  soils  and  treatment 
make  peculiar  demands  upon  the  variety.  Experience  with  varieties  in  other  parts  of 
this  or  foreign  countries  is  not  a  safe  guide.  The  only  practical  way  is  to  find  out  by 
actual  experiment  on  each  farm  which  variety  does  the  best  in  yield  and  quality  un- 
der its  conditions.  The  seed  must  be  good— of  strong  germinating  power.  "Cheap" 


CROSS-SECTION    OF    BEET 

Illustrated  on  page  32.    This  cross-section  is  life  size  at  the  point  of  largest  diameter.    The  dotted  lines  show  the 

concentric  rings  of  growth. 

seed  is  in  the  end  the  most  costly.     This  country  is  producing  some  seed  now,  and  in 
a  few  years  will  doubtless  grow  all  its  beet  seed,  as  discussed  later  in  this  chapter. 

SIZE  OF  BEET — It  is  generally  considered  that  large  beets,  weighing  more  than 
3  Ibs,  are  usually  of  poor  quality.  This  depends  entirely  upon  the  soil  upon  which 
they  are  grown,  and  upon  the  variety  of  seed.  As  a  general  rule,  however,  it  can  be 
said  that  the  large  beets  are  lower  in  quality  than  small  ones.  The  size  most  desired 
is  from  11  to  2  Ibs  in  weight.  Where  beets  are  too  large  or  too  poor  in  quality 
to  be  worked  at  the  factory,  they  can  be  utilized  for  stock  feed.  For  this  purpose  the 
beets  are  considered  in  France  worth  75  per  cent  as  much  as  the  price  that  is  paid 
for  them  for  sugar  making.  In  France,  almost  twice  as  many  beets  are  grown  for 


FAIRLY  GOOD  BEETS.— NEBRASKA 


POOR  BEETS.— NEBRASKA. 

The  first  plate  represents  beets  of  White  Silesian  variety  grown  on  good  soil  and  with  proper  care 
and  plenty  of  cultivation.  The  beets  are  of  good  form  and  show  good  characteristics,  and  would  be 
sought,  after  by  factory.  The  second  plate  represents  beets  of  White  Silesian  variety  grown  on  same 
soil  from  same  kind  of  seed,  but  without  proper  care  and  with  insufficient  cultivation.  They  have  no 
good  characteristics,  and  are  dreaded  by  factory,  and  are  only  fit  for  forage  purposes.  From  Bulletin 
16,  Nebraska  experiment  station. 


78  THE   SUGA.K   INDUSTRY. 

stock  food  as  for  sugar.     In  that  country  the  leaves  are  sold  to  adulterate  tobacco  and 
it  is  said  that  in  some  cases  fully  enough  to  pay  for  the  expenses  of  cultivation. 

SOILS   FOR   THE   SUGAR  BEET. 

This  plant  thrives  on  a  wide  variety  of  soils.  In  Virginia,  a  warm  clay  or  slaty 
soil,  mixed  with  some  sand  and  having  a  depth  of  15  inches  or  more,  gave  the  best  re- 
sults. In  other  states  where  the  industry  is  not  yet  established,  experiment  shows 
that  the  plant  thrives  on  nearly  all  kinds  of  lands.  But  never  select  poor  land — use 
the  best  soils  available.  It  seems  to  do  best  in  these  regions  on  what  farmers  ordina- 
rily call  good  potato  or  corn  land.  The  soil  must  be  well  drained,  for  while  the  beet 
requires  abundant  moisture  during  the  growing  period,  it  does  not  thrive  with  "wet 
feet."  It  therefore  does  much  better  in  some  soils  than  in  others.  The  soil  must 
possess  good  depth,  for  the  beet  is  a  deep-rooting  plant,  going  down  12  to  18  inches. 

In  Nebraska,  the  best  soil  to  produce  a  large  tonnage  is  the  so-called  bottom  land. 
Hilly  land  produces  generally  a  better  quality,  but  does  not  come  up  as  well  in  quan- 
tity. The  more  lime  the  soil  contains  the  riclfer  the  beets  would  be.  Under  no  cir- 
cumstances should  seed  be  planted  in  soil  which  is  sandy  enough  to  blow.  In  Utah, 
and  also  in  the  Pecos  valley,  where  one  has  plenty  of  water  for  irrigation,  a  nice 
sandy  loam  is  preferred,  but  if  the  water  supply  is  scant  a  clayey  soil  is  better. 

In  California,  the  rich,  strong,  sandy  loams  that  produce  heavy  crops  of  wheat 
and  barley  yield  15  to  25  tons  of  rich  beets  per  acre  under  proper  rotation,  but  lower 
lands,  when  well  drained  of  wet  or  that  enjoy  natural  sub-irrigation  from  the  lower 
stores  of  water,  are  often  still  better.  It  has  been  found  at  Chino  that  even  when  the 
.lower  or  more  moist  lands  contain  as  much  as  12,000  Ibs  of  alkali  salts  per  acre  to  the 
depth  of  three  feet,  the  beet  does  well  in  yield  and  quality,  provided  the  amount  of 
common  salt  in  the  soil  does  not  exceed  0.04  per  cent  or  1500  Ibs  per  acre  to  the  depth 
of  three  feet.  But  it  is  wisest  to  verify  on  a  small  scale  the  adaptability  of  doubtful 
land  before  planting  a  large  area  of  it. 

New  land,  by  which  we  understand  land  that  has  only  been  broken  one  or  two 
years,  should  never  be  chosen  for  beets,  as  it  produces  a  crop  inferior  in  yield  and 
quality.  In  Utah,  the  best  results  in  sugar  and  purity  are  obtained  from  land  that  has 
been  in  small  grain  and  the  best  tonnage  is  obtained  from  land  that  has  previously 
had  potatoes.  Alfalfa  land  is  good  for  beets,  provided  two  crops  of  small  grain  are 
first  grown  upon  it  to  get  rid  of  the  roots.  For  preparing  new  land  for  beets,  noth- 
ing is  better  than  to  first  plant  alfalfa  or  field  peas,  the  latter  to  be  plowed  under 
when  in  flower.  Sage  brush  or  mesquite  land  is  excellent,  provided  it  is  thoroughly 
subdued  by  preparatory  crops,  and  can  be  irrigated. 

It  is  also  important  that  the  soil  be  such  that  the  beets  can  be  easily  extracted 
from  the  ground  by  a  beet  puller  or  plow  without  breaking  the  root  and  without  hav- 
ing a  lot  of  soil  adhere  to  it.  In  this  particular,  the  sandy  loam  is  ideal.  To  dig  the 
root  from  a  clay  or  adobe  soil  is  hard  work;  in  such  soils  the  beet  tip  often  breaks  off 
when  ripe,  and  much  soil  adheres  to  the  beets,  thus  adding  to  the  freight  and  to  the 
"tare." 

ROTATION  OF  CROPS. 

This  is  highly  important.  Beets  may  do  well  year  after  year  on  the  same  land, 
especially  if  properly  manured,  but  the  constant  draft  upon  the  soil  for  the  same  pro- 


THE   BEET  SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


portions  and  kinds  of  food  which  this  plan  involves,  must  soon  impair  results.  Three 
crops  in  succession  in  Nebraska's  rich  soil  showed  marked  deterioration  in  quality. 
Constant  cropping  with  beets  also  tends  to  perpetuate  or  multiply  any  pests  (insect 
or  fungus)  of  this  plant.  It  is  true  that  beets  have  been  grown  continuously  on  the 
same  land  in  California  for  a  dozen  years,  without  apparent  injury  to  yield  or  qual- 


TYPES   OF  SUBSOIL   PLOWS 

To  follow  in  the  furrow  after  the  first  plowing  by  ordinary  plows. 


GANG   PLOW  WITH  SUBSOILING    ATTACHMENT. 

ity,  but  this  does  not  gainsay  the  axiom  above  laid  down.  Thus  far,  best  tonnage 
and  quality  have  been  secured  in  California  from  beets  grown  on  the  land  every  third 
year,  and  in  Nebraska  every  fourth  year. 

New  land  should  be  subdued,  as  stated  on  Page  78,  before  being  grown  to  beets. 
This  crop  should  always  follow  corn  or  small  grain,  because  these  being  harvested 
early,  the  land  is  free  for  the  fall  plowing  that  is  absolutely  essential  to  best  results 
with  the  beet.  In  Nebraska  corn  does  not  seem  to  do  well  after  beets,  neither 


80  THE    SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

should  potatoes  or  other  gross  potash -feeders  immediately  precede  or  follow  beets. 
The  best  rotation  in  Nebraska  is  (1)  beets,  (2)  wheat  or  oats,  (8)  corn,  (4)  wheat  or 
oats  or  barley,  (5)  beets.  If  beets  are  wanted  every  third  year,  the  Nebraska  rotation 
is  (1)  beets,  (2)  small  grain,  (3)  corn,  (4)  beets.  Utah  experience  with  rotations  is 
limited. 

In  northern  California,  beets  follow  barley  most  admirably,  wheat  being  the  next 
crop— (1)  beets,  (2)  wheat,  (3)  barley,  (4)  beets.  Much  is  yet  to  be  learned  about 
the  best  rotations  under  American  conditions,  but  one  including  one  or  two  crops  of 
clover  or  alfalfa  will  usually  be  found  excellent.  Instead  of  giving  small  grains  the 
second  year,  a  few  Nebraska  farmers  prefer  to  allow  the  land  to  remain  fallow,  plow- 
ing it  five  or  six  times  to  prevent  a  growth  of  weeds,  then  cultivating  only  in  spring 
before  seeding. 

FEEDING   THE   PLANT. 

The  sugar  beet  has  thus  far  been  mainly  grown  in  America  for  commercial  pur- 
poses on  comparatively  virgin  soils  at  the  west  without  fertilization.  In  Europe,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  liberal  use  of  fertilizers  is  essential.  It  is  already  being  found 
that  even  our  virgin,  soils  will  deteriorate  if  there  is  not  put  back  upon  the  land  the 
plant  food  taken  from  it  by  the  crop.  While  the  beet  takes  comparatively  large  quan- 
tities of  plant  food  from  the  soil,  much  of  this  can  be  returned  to  the  land  if  the 
pulp  and  tops  are  fed  to  stock  and  the  solid  and  liquid  excrement  applied  to  the  soil. 
The  lime  cake  and  the  bone  black  from  the  sugar  factory  should  also  be  used. 

AVEUAOE  QUANTITIES  OF  PLANT  FOOD  KEMOVED  IN  0,000  POUNDS  EACH  OF  BEET  HOOTS  AND  BEET  LEAVES. 

Roots  Leaves  Total 

.  Constituents  Ibs  Ibs  Ibs 

Potash,  3.3  C.5  9.8 

Phosphoric  acid,  0.8  1.3  2.1 

Magnesia,  0.5  3.0  3.5 

Total  ash*,  7.1  18.1  25.2 

Nitrogen,  1.6  3.9  4.5 

*Tlie  ash  includes  a  large  proportion  of  lime. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  leaves  contain  more  than  twice  as  much  of  the  principal 
•elements  as  do  the  roots.  Hence,  the  wisdom  of  leaving  them  on  the  field,  if  not  fed 
to  stock.  Magnesia  and  lime  are  supplied  to  the  soil  at  low  cost  in  the  form  of  lime 
cake.  The  plant  requires  much  lime,  and  if  it  is  not  sufficiently  present  in  the  soil 
its  absence  must  be  made  good.  The  plant  is  a  most  liberal  feeder  of  potash  and  ni- 
trogen, its  demands  lor  phosphoric  acid  being  comparatively  limited;  hence,  the  wis- 
dom of  applying  fertilizers  containing  an  excess  of  potash  and  low  in  phosphoric  acid. 
We  would  especially  emphasize  the  importance  of  potash,  for  even  if  the  pulp  is  fed  to 
stock  and  their  manure  applied  to  the  land,  more  or  less  potash  is  lost  in  process  by 
leaching  or  in  the  molasses,  etc,  as  well  as  by  failure  to  utilize  all  the  liquid  manure. 
Potash  and  phosphoric  acid  can  be  used  very  freely  on  beet  fields  and  seem  to  do  bet- 
ter together  than  when  applied  separately.  This  is  not  so  with  nitrogenous  manures 
or  ammoniated  substances,  which  tend  to  produce  a  quick  and  heavy  growth  of  the 
beet  and  thus  diminish  its  sugar  content.  As  a  general  rule,  it  will  be  found  that  in 
the  older  and  more  exhausted  soils,  the  generous  use  of  fertilizers  or  manures  is  ad- 
visable, as  the  land  must  be  made  rich.  On  the  newer  soils  at  the  west,  just  what 


82  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

fertilization  is  best  is  yet  a  subject  of  experiment  and  much  is  also  to  be  learned 
about  fertilizers  on  old  land. 

In  all  cases,  the  crop  seemed  to  do  best  if  the  ground  was  manured  the  second 
year  before  the  season  the  beet  is  to  be  raised.  Well-rotted  stable  manure  to  be 
plowed  under  is  advisable  and  in  Nebraska  results  in  greatly  increased  tonnage.  In 
Utah,  on  the  other  hand,  there  has  been  a  disposition  among  growers  to  put  too  much 
manure  on  their  land,  obtaining  tonnage  at  the  risk  of  quality,  because  beets  of  such 
gross  growth  do  not  ripen  well.  Even  on  the  apparently  inexhaustible  soils  at  Chino. 
fertilizers  have  proven  effective.  "Green"  or  fresh  stable  manure  should  be  plowed 
under  the  previous  fall ;  better  still,  apply  it  to  the  previous  crop.  The  main  point 
is  to  have  the  soil  well  filled  witli  available  plant  food  in  proper  forms. 

Elaborate  experiments  have  been  conducted  along  this  line  in  Europe  on  the  old 
soils  of  Europe,  which  Wiley  thus  summarises:  "As  for  the  relation  which  the  quan- 
tity of  material  returned  should  bear  to  the  quantity  abstracted,  it  may  be  said  in 
general  that  it  is  desirable  to  return  as  much  nitrogen,  one  and  a  quarter  to  one  and 
one  half  times  as  much  potash,  and  two  and  a  half  times  as  much  phosphoric  acid  as 
has  been  abstracted.  The  greater  additions  of  potash  and  phosphoric  acids  have  no 
disadvantageous  effects  upon  the  crop.  Direct  investigations  in  regard  to  the  rela- 
tion between  the  sugar  and  potash  in  consecutive  crops  for  many  years  have  failed  to 
give  the  least  ground  for  a  contrary  conclusion.  But  it  must  not  be  expected,  on  the 
other  hand,  that  increasing  fertilizations,  especially  potash  fertilization,  will  produce 
proportionately  increasing  crops,  as  has  been  asserted  by  some. 

"The  opinion  has  generally  prevailed  among  beet  growers  during  late  years  that 
heavy  nitrogenous  manuring,  especially  with  nitrate  of  soda,  produces  no  injurious 
effect  on  the  quality  of  jthe  beet.  This  opinion  was  basea  on  the  fact  that  in  such 
beets  the  sugar  per  cent  was  only  slightly  diminished.  Nevertheless  the  quality  of  a 
beet  may  be  impaired  even  with  little  or  no  diminution  of  the  sugar  content  by  rea- 
son of  the  increase  of  the  percentage  of  non-sugars  present.  It  has  been  shown  that 
heavy  manuring  with  nitrogenous  substances  greatly  injures  the  quality  of  the  beet 
for  sugar-making  purposes." 

It  is  true  that  the  beet  is  not  an  exhaustive  crop,  provided  all  its  by-products  are 
returned  to  the  soil,  but  we  fear  that  this  will  not  be  done  in  America  for  some  years, 
meanwhile  there  is  danger  that  failing  to  thus  restore  to  the  soil  what  is  taken  from 
it,  farmers  may  get  the  idea  that  the  beet  will  not  exhaust  the  land,  and  that  it  can 
be  grown  in  defiance  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  agriculture.  This  error  should 
be  guarded  against  by  liberal  fertilization. 

PLOWING. 

Immediately  after  harvesting  the  small  grain,  plow  shallow  (two  or  three  inches) 
in  order  to  prevent  the  weeds  from  going  to  seed.  When  this  is  done,  spread  the  field 
with  stable  manure  (if  any  is  to  be  used)  and  in  the  fall  plow  deep.  This  deep 
plowing  is  very  important,  because  the  beet  is  thereby  enabled  to  penetrate  into  the 
subsoil  without  much  obstruction,  thus  preventing  it  from  growing  out  of  the  ground 
and  allowing  it  to  extract  considerable  nourishment  from  the  lower  soil.  The  deep 
plowing  will  also  give  clean  ground  and  will  make  it  ready  for  early  planting  and 
thus  insure  a  large  tonnage.  The  best  way  to  accomplish  this  is  to  plow  8  to  10 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


83 


inches  deep  with  an  ordinary  plow,  follow  it  with  a  good  subsoil  plow  that  will  stir 
the  subsoil  to  a  depth  of  5  to  7  inches  more,  thus  giving  an  open  soil  to  a  depth  of  14 
to  17  inches.  This  subsoiling  is  often  neglected,  but  it  is  essential  for  two  reasons : 
(1)  It  gives  a  deep  soil  for  the  beet  root  to  grow  down  into  draining  its  food  from 
the  lower  depths,  and  also  preventing  the  top  of  the  root  from  growing  out  of  the 
ground;  this  makes  a  smooth  conical  beet  of  moderate  size,  richest  in  sugar  and 
easily  harvested.  When  the  land  does  not  freeze,  as  in  California,  this  plowing  should 
be  done  two  or  four  months  before  seeding. 

In  case  the  plowing  has  not  been  done  in  the  fall,  plow  as  early  in  the  spring  as 
the  ground  will  do  to  handle  without  sticking,  for  three  reasons :  1,  Because  the 
sooner  the  weeds  are  encouraged  to  grow,  the  more  of  them  can  be  killed  before 
planting  the  beets;  2,  because  land  plowed  while  the  weather  is  cool  will  retain  the 


OTHER    STYLES   OF   SUBSOIL   PLOWS. 

moisture  much  longer  than  it  will  if  plowed  during  warm  weather;  3,  because  it  is 
much  better  to  allow  the  ground  to  settle  as  much  as  possible  after  plowing  and  be- 
fore the  preparation  of  the  seed  bed,  so  that  it  will  become  thoroughly  packed,  thus 
insuring  better  and  quicker  germination.  In  the  spring  never  throw  up  more  than 
two  inches  of  soil  that  hat  not  been  stirred  before ;  if  your  soil  has  never  been  plowed 
over  six  inches,  it  is  better  to  use  a  subsoil  plow  to  loosen  the  ground  to  the  proper 
depth.  These  instructions  refer  only  to  spring  plowing;  when  good  land  with  deep 
soil  is  plowed  in  the  fall  it  makes  little  difference  how  much  new  soil  is  turned  up, 
as  it  would  decay  in  winter  through  the  action  of  the  frost,  but  on  thinner  soils,  this 
trouble  can  always  be  obviated  by  the  subsoiler. 

After  spring  plowing,  harrow,  or  better,  drag  once  immediately,  and  then  leave 
the  ground  as  it  is  until  the  time  to  prepare  the  seed  bed,  thus  allowing  the  weeds 
to  sprout.  If  the  previous  crop  was  corn,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  take  the  stalks 
and  roots  off  the  ground  in  the  right  manner  in  order  to  permit  of  easy  and  proper 


84  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

horse  cultivation;  it  will  not  do  to  plow  the  stalks  under,  however,  as  it  cannot  be 
done  effectually,  the  cultivator-knives  bringing  them  back  to  the  surface  once  more, 
and  at  the  same  time  dragging  along  with  them  more  or  less  of  the  small  beet  plants. 
The  best  way  is  to  remove  the  mold-board  from  the  plow,  which  will  enable  you  to 
loosen  the  roots  without  turning  the  cornstalks  under.  Then  gather  them  up  with  a 
hay  rake  into  piles  and  after  burning  as  much  as  possible  haul  off  the  remainder. 

In  many  soils  in  California,  a  sour  clay  is  brought  to  the  surface  by  deep  plowing, 
which  is  injurious  to  the  beet  because  of  its  acidity.  This  should  be  neutralized  by 
the  use  of  about  two  tons  of  lime  per  acre  broadcasted  on  before  harvesting.  In  Cal- 
ifornia, the  spring  cultivation  of  the  plowed  land  is  done  with  an  implement  fur- 
nished with  long,  narrow  teeth  that  reach  to  the  bottom  of  the  plowing. 

MORE  ABOUT   SUBSOILING. 

This  work  is  so  important,  especially  in  drouthy  regions,  that  more  detailed  dis- 
cussion of  it  is  in  order. 

Subsoiling  consists  of  a  loosening  or  a  breaking  up  of  8  to  20  or  more  inches 
of  the  soil  below  the  depth  of  ordinary  plowing.  In  true  subsoiling  the  lower 
layers  of  soil  are  not  thrown  out  on  top.  When  the  prairies  of  the  west 
were  first  plowed,  it  was  sometimes  thought  desirable  to  break  the  sod 
very  shallow;  then  by  following  in  the  furrow,  with  the  plow  so  made  as  to 
throw  the  comparatively  mellow  second  furrow  on  top  of  the  first,  a  layer 
of  loose  ground  was  obtained  in  which  seed  could  be  planted.  This  so-called 
subsoiling  is  in  reality  nothing  but  deep  plowing,  and  is  practicable  only  in  a  new 
country,  or  in  the  breaking  up  of  meadows  or  pastures  which  have  an  exceedingly 
compact  turf.  In  practice,  land  to  be  subsoiled  the  first  time  is  plowed  to  the  accus- 
tomed depth.  The  subsoil  plow  follows  in  the  furrow  of  the  ordinary  plow,  and  is 
run  about  eight  inches  deep.  If  it  is  thought  desirable,  the  work  can  be  still  more 
completely  accomplished  by  subsoiling  crosswise,  running  the  subsoil  plow  the  sec- 
ond time  a  little  deeper  than  during  the  first  operation.  The  entire  subsoil  to  a 
depth  of  12  to  14  inches,  depending  upon  the  depth  of  the  first  plowing,  is  thoroughly 
loosened,  and  so  broken  up  that  plant  roots  can  easily  penetrate  it  and  rainfall  is 
readily  absorbed.  When  the  same  land  is  subsoiled  again,  run  the  plow  about  four 
inches  deeper. 

The  main  benefits  derived  from  this  practice  are :  1,  The  upper  layers  of  soil  are 
broken  up  and  placed  in  a  condition  to  absorb  and  hold  a  maximum  amount  of  water. 
2,  Natural  rainfall  is  taken  up  and  retained  until  needed  by  the  growing  crops.  3, 
Heat  and  air  are  enabled  to  permeate  the  subsoil  and  render  available  the  plant  food 
contained  therein.  4,  The  loosened  ground  acts  as  a  vast  reservoir  for  storing  soil 
moisture.  5,  Stirring  the  hard  subsoil  breaks  up  the  capillary  tubes  and  prevents 
wasteful  evaporation.  6,  During  the  wet  season  the  openings  made  by  tha  subsoil 
plow  allow  the  excess  of  water  to  escape  to  lower  levels.  7,  Plant  roots  are  given  a 
better  opportunity  of  development.  8,  Such  crops  as  sugar  beets,  turnips,  rutaba- 
gas, sweet  potatoes,  etc,  develop  more  completely  under  ground,  resulting  in  a  higher 
grade  vegetable.  If  the  surface  of  the  field  is  kept  loose  by  shallow  culture,  the  loose 
layer  will  act  as  a  mulch  and  greatly  aid  in  retaining  moisture.  Experience  and  ob- 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


85 


servation  have  shown  that  the  season,  wet  or  dry,  warm  or  cold,  determines  whether 
crops  will  be  heavy  or  light.  Any  treatment,  therefore,  that  will  counteract  the  un- 
even conditions  of  a  season,  even  partially,  will  increase  the  yield.  Subsoiling  and 
surface  cultivation  have  a  marked  effect  in  counteracting  the  disastrous  results  of 
drouths.  The  benefits  of  subsoiling,  however,  will  depend  almost  altogether  upon 
the  nature  of  both  the  surface  soil  and  that  lower  down. 

Where  the  subsoil  is  very  loose  and  porous,  subsoil  plowing  may  be  a  decided  dis- 
advantage, in  that  it  forms  larger  passages  through  which  the  natural  rainfall  will 
escape.  If  it  is  not  a  disadvantage,  it  often  is  of  no  benefit  from  the  fact  that  the 
subsoil  is  already  sufficiently  loose  to  retain  the  greatest_amount  of  moisture.  Fields 


ADJUSTABLE    FOUR-ROW  BEET  SEEDER. 

This  machine  plants  15,  20,  or  25  Ibs.  of  seed  per  acre  in  rows  16,  18  or  20  inches  apart  as  desired,  ".overs 

the  seed  to  an  even  depth,  and  firms  the  soil  about  the  seed.    On  large 

areas  such  a  machine  is  indispensable. 

underlaid  with  a  compact  subsoil  or  hardpan,  or  those  which  have  been  plowed  at 
the  same  depth  for  a  number  of  years,  forming  a  hard  layer  at  the  bottom  of  the  fur- 
•row,  are  the  ones  chiefly  benefited  by  this  mode  of  culture.  This  practice  on  any 
kind  of  soil,  unless  it  is  hardpan,  would  obviously  be  unnecessary  during  seasons 
when  rains  are  sufficiently  frequent  to  furnish  the  necessary  moisture  for  growing 
crops.  During  wet  weather  the  operation  might  result  in  a  puddling  of  the  soil,  to  its 
great  injury.  It  is  only  during  very  dry  seasons  when  its  full  benefits  would  be  seen, 
but  for  the  past  10  or  12  years  in  the  most  prominent  grain  and  vegetable  j>ro<lucing 
states,  there  has  occurred  in  the  summer  or  early  fall  a  drouth  which  very  materially 
shortened  the  crop.  So  true  is  this,  that  farmers  and  gardeners  in  states  compara- 
tively free  from  severe  drouths  have  begun  to  seriously  consider  some  method  of 
bridging  over  this  disastrous  period,  especially  injurious  to  the  market  gardener  and 
fruit  grower.  In  practice  it  has  been  found  that  unless  the  soil  is  unusually  compact, 


86  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

treatment  once  every  three  or  four  years  is  amply  sufficient.  With  increasing  drouths, 
however,  it  may  be  found  desirable  to  subsoil  every  two  years.  The  work  is  most 
profitably  done  in  the  fall,  as  this  gives  an  opportunity  for  the  land  so  treated  to  ab- 
sorb the  fall  rains,  winter  snows  and  any  moisture  which  may  be  precipitated  before 
spring  plowing  is  possible.  This  is  specially  true  in  parts  of  the  far  west,  where 
winter  irrigation  is  practiced.  The  streams  there  during  early  fall  or  winter  usually 
supply  sufficient  water  for  irrigating,  while  during  the  dry  season  they  fail. 

Admitting,  then,  that  subsoiling  ought  at  least  to  be  tested,  the  question  of  ob- 
taining suitable  and  most  desirable  plows  is  important.  The  common  practice,  as 
before  stated,  is  to  follow  the  ordinary  breaking  plow  with  a  plow  constructed  espe- 
cially for  isubsoiling,  types  of  which  are  illustrated  herewith.  These  cost  all  the  way 
from  $10  to  $18.  They  can  be  obtained  of  any  of  the  prominent  plow  firms.  One 
company  manufactures  an  attachment,  or  rather  a  subsoiler,  which  is  substituted  for 
the  front  plow  on  a  four-horse  gang.  There  is  no  getting  around  the  fact  that  subsoil 
plows  pull  hard.  In  the  case  of  the  gang  subsoiler,  a  good  four-horse  team  takes  it 
along  quite  readily,  but  if  the  ground  is  especially  hard,  it  would  need  one  or  two  ex- 
tra horses.  With  the  ordinary  subsoiler,  which  follows  in  the  furrows  of  the  plow,  it 
is  customary  to  use  two  horses,  but  three  or  even  four  are  more  satisfactory. 

During  the  past  four  years  many  careful  tests  with  subsoiling  have  been  con- 
ducted at  American  experiment  stations  and  by  practical  farmers.  The  results,  care- 
fully compiled  by  Mr  C.  A.  Shamel  in  AMERICAN  AGRICULTURIST,  are  somewhat 
conflicting,  though  only  a  few  were  with  sugar  beets. 

In  New  York  and  Kansas  no  decided  advantage  was  obtained.  In  South  Caro- 
lina on  sandy  soils,  the  effect  was  not  appreciable.  In  Indiana  and  Iowa,  the  prac- 
tice was  advantageous  in  sugar  beet  culture,  as  better  formed  beets,  with  a  higher 
per  cent  of  sugar,  were  obtained.  Corn  in  these  two  states  was  not  benefited.  Prac- 
tical farmers  in  Kansas  find  subsoiling  beneficial.  Mr  Kelsey  of  Oakland,  Shawnee 
Co,  stated  to  the  agricultural  board  that  in  1894  land  subsoiled  yielded  65  bu  of  corn, 
while  that  not  so  treated  produced  only  35  bu.  MiUet  on  subsoiled  land  yielded  well; 
on  untreated  it  was  a  failure.  The  effects  last  about  three  years.  Subsoil  one-third 
of  the  farm  each  year.  Mr  Peckham  of  Haven,  Reno  Co,  obtained  substantially  the 
same  results.  Experiences  in  Illinois  are  somewhat  difficult  to  obtain,  as  but  little 
work  has  been  done  along  this  line.  In  general  the  facts  in  this  state  agree  with 
those  from  Kansas  and  Nebraska. 

The  most  marked  results  are  reported  from  the  Nebraska  experiment  station  in 
Lancaster  Co,  by  Prof  Lyon.  The  soil  in  most  parts  of  Nebraska,  and  where  these 
experiments  were  tried,  contains  very  little  sand  and  is  made  up  mostly  of  silt,  or  of 
the  ordinary  dark  mud  so  familiar  to  residents  of  the  corn  belt.  Because  of  the  small 
amount  of  sand,  the  soil  compacts  quite  readily,  becoming  almost  as  firm  as  so  much 
clay.  It  is  well  supplied  with  plant  food,  and  when  stirred  sufficiently  deep  so  as  to 
take  up  water,  is  very  productive.  Good  results  from  subsoiling  were  very  marked. 
Land  subsoiled  four  years  ago  for  sugar  beets  and  not  treated  since,  was  this  season 
planted  to  corn.  A  field  not  so  treated  lay  alongside.  Both  were  upland,  with  a 
gradual  slope  toward  the  east,  and  consisted  of  a  fine  loam  with  considerable  vegeta- 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY.  87 

ble  matter.  The  results  were  so  marked  that  the  exact  row  of  the  subsoiled  field 
could  be  told,  because  of  its  superior  excellence.  The  stalks  on  the  unsubsoiled  land 
were  badly  dried  up  and  contained  no  ears,  while  those  on  subsoiled  land  were  large, 
green,  and  produced  a  fair  yield.  Such  results  are  encouraging,  and  show  that  with 
very  little  extra  expense  good  crop*  can  be  raised  with  less  rainfall  than  is  generally 
supposed.  If  the  effect  is  not  apparent  the  first  season,  it  makes  itself  felt  in  the 
course  of  two  or  three  years,  the  reason  being  that  if  very  little  rain  falls  after  sub- 
soiling,  the  small  amount  of  moisture  sinks  rapidly  into  the  soil  and  is  retained  there 
until  the  plant  roots  need  it.  After  the  practice  has  been  started,  the  excess  of  wa- 
ter beyond  the  demands  of  the  soil  continues.  Subsoiling  is  especially  adapted  to 
Nebraska,  because  the  annual  rainfall  is  less  than  in  most  arable  portions  of  the  coun- 


A   HAND    PLANTER   FOR   BEET   SEEDS. 

Smaller  drills  like  the  one  illustrated  have  been  used   with  satisfaction,   but  this  new  No.  5  drill  is 
still  better  and  larger,  while  so  simple  as  to  insure  the  most  even  seeding  and  covering.    It 
can  be  regulated  to  drop  any  desired  number  or  weight  of  seeds,  at  varying 
distances  apart,  or  in  hills  ;  is  equipped  with  marker. 

try.  Added  to  this  is  a  very  dry  atmosphere,  and  periods  of  extreme  heat  accompa- 
nied by  high  winds.  The  following  conclusions  were  reached  for  Nebraska  :  Subsoil 
plowing,  although  conserving  moisture,  does  not  produce  it  and  is  therefore  not  a 
substitute  for  irrigation  where  rainfall  is  too  small  to  produce  crops.  Where  the  sub- 
soil is  hard,  subsoiling  is  recommended ;  when  loose  it  is  not  profitable  and  may  be 
injurious.  Do  not  subsoil  when  wet,  as  there  is  danger  of  puddling  the  soil,  thus 
leaving  it  in  a  worse  condition  than  before.  Ground  subsoiled  in  the  fall  has  an  am- 
ple opportunity  of  absorbing  the  greatest  rainfall.  Subsoiling  in  spring  may  be  detri- 
mental in  extreme  dry  weather,  as  the  water  is  partially  removed  from  the  young 
plants  by  the  absorption  of  the  dry  bottom  soil. 

PREPARATION   OF   SEED  BED. 

Land  tbat  has  been  fall  plowed  must  be  harrowed  as  soon  as  the   frost   is   out   of 
the  ground  and  the  soil  is  dry  enough  to  prevent  sticking.     This  work  will    level    the 


SS  THE   SUGAK   INDUSTRY. 

ground,  thereby  holding  the  moisture  in  the  soil,  and  increase  the  germination  of  the 
weeds,  etc.  To  secure  a  good  crop,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  kill  all  the  weeds  in 
the  ground  before  seeding.  Here  is  where  most  failures  occur,  and  if  weeds  are  al- 
lowed to  get  a  start,  the  cultivation  of  the  crop  will  involve  much  unnecessary  and 
expensive  hand  work.  Therefore,  to  prepare  a  go^d  seed  bed,  we  advise  working  the 
soil  four  to  five  inches  deep  with  a  pulverizer,  or  better  yet,  with  a  corn  cultivator, 
once  lengthwise  and  once  crosswise,  making  sure  not  to  miss  any  spot  in  the  field,  as 
it  is  necessary  to  loosen  any  weeds  that  may  have  already  sprouted.  In  California 
this  has  to  be  done  whenever  the  weeds  may  start.  Then  harrow  lengthwise  and 
crosswise  to  level  the  soil  perfectly  and  finish  killing  the  weeds.  After  this,  pack  the 
top  soil  to  a  depth  of  two  to  three1  inches  well  with  a  heavy  roller;  never  use  a  plank 
float  for  this  work,  as  floated  ground  is  never  well  packed,  and  will  besides  increase 
blowing  and  washing.  The  better  the  soil  is  packed  after  the  weeds  are  killed,  the 
better  the  beet  seed  will  sprout.  All  the  above  work  must  be  performed  at  a  time 
when  the  ground  is  in  good  working  condition;  that  is,  not  too  damp,  as  the  working 
of  wet  soil  must  be  strictly  avoided.  As  beet  seed  requires  considerable  moisture  10 
germinate,  it  would  also  be  a  great  loss  to  the  beet  grower  to  allow  the  soil  during  the 
preparation  of  the  seed  bed  to  dry  out;  therefore  in  dry  weather  or  in  an  average 
season,  the  field  must  be  prepared  and  S3eded  the  same  day,  this  being  the  only  way 
in  which  the  moisture  can  be  kept  in  the  ground  under  the  usual  west  conditions — a 
great  feature  in  crop  raising  and  especially  so  in  beet  culture. 

To  prevent  the  soil  blowing,  which  is  very  disastrous  to  the  small  beet  plants  (in 
Nebraska,  even  the  best  black  bottom  land  will  blow,  if  level  and  fine,  which  it  must 
be  to  secure  a  good  crop),  run  a  light  harrow  over  the  field,  after  rolling  bat  before 
seeding.  This  harrow  must  be  very  light  and  can  be  easily  constructed  and  without 
much  expense  by  using  2x2  pine  pieces  for  the  beams  and  large  nails  for  the  teeth, 
only  letting  them  project  below  the  beams  H  to  2  inches.  This  harrow  must  simply 
scratch  the  soil  (not  over  half  an  inch  deep),  thus  giving  a  rough  surface,  which  will 
prevent  blowing  except  on  dry,  sandy  soil,  on  which,  for  this  reason  and  some  others, 
sugar  beets  should  never  be  planted.  The  soil  must  not  be  loosened  again  by  a  deep 
harrowing,  as  this  would  injure  the  germination. 

There  is  a  tendency  to  neglect  some  of  these  various  preparations  of  the  soil,  but 
except  on  certain  lands  particularly  adapted  to  the  crop,  every  step  above  enumer- 
ated is  essential.  Too  much  care  cannot  be  devoted  to  the  preparation  of  soil  and 
seed  bed,  for  upon  it  success  largely  depends.  Even  if  the  season  is  unfavorable,  the 
crop  will  do  enough  better  on  a  well-prepared  soil  to  pay  for  the  labor,  while  in  a 
favorable  season,  this  work  will  yield  a  handsome  dividend.  It  will  be  seen  that 
such  preparation  is  directly  contrary  to  the  careless  way  in  which  the  land  is  usually 
worked  for  field  crops.  Eight  here  is  where  beet  culture  differs  from  that  of  almost 
any  other  crop.  It  involves  intense  farming  of  the  highest  type.  Not  one  of  the  old 
market  gardens  about  New  York,  Philadelphia,  or  other  eastern  cities  is  more  care- 
fully worked  than  the  sugar  beet  requires  for  best  results. 

SEEDING. 

To  secure  a  full  yield,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  have  a  good  stand.  It  is  much 
easier  to  thin  out  surplus  beets  with  a  good  stand,  than  to  have  to  plow  under  the 


THE   BEET   SUGAK   INDUSTRY. 


89 


.entire  patch  and  replant  it  in  case  of  a  poor  stand.  It  is  desirable  that  when  the 
plants  come  up  they  should  nearly  touch  each  other,  but  there  is  no  necessity  of  over 
crowding,  as  this  occasions  extra  labor  in  thinning  out.  Or  the  seed  may  be  planted 
at  a  distance  of  three  or  four  inches  in  the  rows  in  groups  of  three  or  four  seeds. 
Formerly  only  10  or  15  pounds  of  seed  per  acre  was  sowed,  but  American  experience 
during  the  past  six  years  has  emphasized  the  importance  of  sowing  at  least  20  Ibs  of 
seed  per  acre.  Then,  should  the  weather  be  dry,  the  best  seed  will  come  up  first  and 
there  will  be  enough  for  a  good  stand.  On  the  other  hand,  should  a  crust  be  formed 
on  the  field  after  a  heavy  rain,  one  plant  would  help  the  other  to  break  through  the 


COMBINATION    PLANTER    AND  CULTIVATING   MACHINE. 

Tills  No.  4  machine  also  plants   well,  and   when  through  with  for  that  purpose,  can  be  used  as  a  whee 

hoe,  cultivator,  rake  or  plow,  by  using  the  appropriate  parts.    Its  advantages 

to  small  cultivators  of  limited  means  are  obvious. 


ground.     It  is  easier  to  do  a  little  extra  thinning  than  to  replant.     If  seeding  a  small 
patch  by  hand,  less  seed  will  be  required  if  the  work  is  done  carefully. 

Almost  any  garden  drill  can  be  adapted  to  sowing  beet  seed,  but  for  larger  fields 
the  four-row  horse  drill  is  used.  Seeders  made  especially  for  this  purpose,  seeding 
four  rows  at  a  time  and  dropping  the  seed  continuously  in  rows  14  to  19  inches  apart, 
(according  to  the  fertility  of  the  soil)  will  plant  10  to  12  acres  per  day.  Never  plant 
over  three-fourths  of  an  inch  deep,  but  see  that  the  earth  is  well  packed  around  the 
seed  by  the  press  wheels  attached  to  the  back  of  the  drill,  because  by  pressing  the 
surface  the  necessary  moisture  for  germinating  in  a  dry  season  is  drawn  by  capillary 
attraction  out  of  the  deeper  soil.  The  heavier  the  soil  and  the  earlier  the  planting, 
the  shallower  must  the  sowing  be  in  order  to  prevent  the  seed  from  rotting  in  the 
ground.  The  deeper  the  seed  is  planted,  especially  in  heavy  soil,  the  weaker  the 


90  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

plants  will  be  if  they  come  up  at  all.  Therefore  avoid  deep  planting,  which  invaria- 
bly gives  a  poor  stand.  The  least  covering  of  moist  earth,  well  packed  about  the  seed, 
is  sufficient  to  sprout  it. 

The  rows  may  be  10,  12  or  14  inches  apart  if  it  is  intended  to  weed  out  by  hand ; 
or  18  to  21  inches  if  the  horse  hoe  is  used. 

Time  for  planting  is  when  the  soil  is  warm  enough  to  germinate  the  seed.  This 
is  usually  about  two  weeks  or  so  earlier  than  the  average  farmer  would  think  of  plant- 
ing corn.  In  California  it  may  be  any  time  from  January  to  June,  in  the  central 
west  from  April  20  to  May  20  ,  further  east  May  1  to  June  1,  and  for  the  south  March 
1  to  May  1.  No  hard  and  fast  rule  can  be  laid  down ;  the  intelligent  observer  can 
judge  from  the  season  and  condition  of  soil.  The  young  plants  should  show  in  7  to 
21  days,  according  to  the  season.  If  the  stand  is  poor,  cultivate  it  out  and  reseed  the 
whole  field;  or  replant  the  poor  spots. 

Parties  growing  a  large  acreage  and  not  having  very  much  help,  will  do  well  to 
plant  the  crop  in  sections,  at  intervals  of  one  week  apart,  in  order  to  gain  more  time 
for  thinning;  however,  do  not  plant  too  late,  for  in  that  case  the  beets  will  not  be 
strong  enough  when  the  dry  season  sets  in,  and  will  therefore  suffer  from  the  drouth, 
while  the  earlier  and  consequently  stronger  plants  will  thrive  well  and  a  heavier  and 
better  crop  be  insured.  You  had  much  better  hire  help  during  thinning  time  than 
to  plant  too  late. 

If  beets  are  planted  at  great  distances  apart,  they  become  large  in  size  and  freely 
absorb  salts  from  the  soil.  To  avoid  this  it  is  necessary  to  plant  close  together,  thus 
dividing  the  available  salts  in  the  soil.  Sugar  is  largely  formed  in  the  beet  from  the 
air  through  the  leaves,  and  these  should  be  many  in  number  and  of  fair  size,  hence  it 
will  not  do  to  overcrowd  the  plants. 

CULTIVATING. 

This  work  is  performed  with  one-horse  cultivators,  which  work  one,  two  or  four  rows 
at  a  time.  If  after  sowing,  a  heavy  rain  should  cause  a  crust  to  form  on  the  field, 
the  light  harrow  previously  described  to  prevent  soil  blowing  is  recommended;  but  this 
only  in  case  the  seed  has  not  germinated,  as  otherwise  it  would  be  better  to  run  the 
cultivator  over  the  field,  following  the  rows,  which  can  be  done  easily  before  the  seed 
is  up,  as  the  marks  of  the  press  wheels  can  be  plainly  distinguished.  This  work,  how- 
ever, can  be  better  done  by  hand  hoes  (11  inches  wide;  see  Hoeing).  As  soon  as  the 
beets  break  through  the  ground  and  the  rows  can  be  followed,  the  cultivation  must 
begin,  the  earlier  the  better,  not  only  to  destroy  the  weeds,  but  to  loosen  the  soil, 
which  permits  the  air  to  penetrate,  thus  forcing  the  growth  of  the  beet  and  improv- 
ing the  quality. 

It  is  very  important  to  kill  the  weeds  before  they  get  above  the  ground,  or  at 
least  before  they  become  well-rooted.  This  can  be  easily  accomplished  by  cultivat 
ing  the  field  with  the  flat  shovels  every  eight  or  ten  days,  care  being  taken  to  set  the 
knives  as  close  as  possible  to  the  rows,  and  never  over  two  inches  from  the  rows  as 
long  as  the  tyeets  are  small.  As  the  beets  grow  older,  however,  the  shovels  should  be 
run  gradually  farther  away  from  the  beets,  and  also  deeper,  until  the  leaves  meet  m 
the  center  of  the  rows,  by  which  time  the  cultivation  should  have  reached  a  depth  of 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY.  91 

6  inches,  and  should  then  cease,  as  the  beets  are  ready  to  lay  by.  Besides  destroying 
the  weeds,  this  repeated  cultivation  prevents  evaporation  from  the  deeper  soil,  and 
secures  a  good  and  healthy  growth.  Never  hill  the  beets,  as  level  land  keeps  the 
moisture  best. 

Keep  the  horse  cultivator  going  whenever  weeds  appear,  or  a  crust  forms,  until 
the  beets  have  grown  so  large  as  to  prevent  this  work,  when  they  may  be  "  laid  by." 
In  Utah  and  California,  four  cultivations  and  one  hand  hoeing,  besides  one  spacing 
and  thinning,  is  all  the  crop  requires,  but  in  Nebraska  winds  and  drouth  may  necessi- 
tate more  work  on  the  crop.  Frequent  stirring  to  a  depth  of  two  or  three  inches  is 
one  of  the  best  means  of  preventing  loss  of  moisture  from  below  during  a  dry  spell. 
This  point  cannot  be  too  carefully  observed  whenever  a  drouth  threatens,  and  if  this 
cultivation  is  well  and  frequently  done,  the  crop  will  stand  quite  a  severe  drouth 
without  much  injury,  if  the  ground  was  previously  prepared  as  described  on  Page  83. 

Hoeing  has  been  rendered  more  effective  and  less  expensive  by  the  use  of  the 
various  horse  hoes  and  cultivators  illustrated,  but  the  use  of  these  machines  is  to  be 
supplemented  in  the  field  with  the  hand  hoe.  Great  care  must  be  exercised  in  using 
any  cultivating  machine,  for  if  the  setting  up  and  use  be  not  carefully  looked  after, 
the  weeds  will  not  be  extirpated,  while  whole  rows  of  beets  may  be  cut  down.  Fre- 
quent hoeing  and  cultivating  cannot  be  too  highly  recommended,  for,  as  they  say  in 
Germany,  "sugar  is  hoed  into  the  beets."  In  Knauer's  experience  (Germany)  a  plot 
hoed  once  yielded  7  tons  of  beets  per  acre,  twice  gave  8  tons,  three  times  gave  lOf 
tons,  four  times  gave  12£  tons,  while  a  field  hoed  five  times  yielded  over  13  tons  of 
dressed  beets  per  acre,  thus  doubling  the  yield  over  the  plot  hoed  only  once. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  that  flat  culture  and  rows  is  the  universal  rule 
at  present  in  America.  Mr  Lewis  S.  Ware,  editor  of  The  Sugar  Beet,  states  in  that 
paper  for  January  '97,  illustrating  a  French  machine  for  harvesting  beets  in  hills: 
"We  have  on  many  previous  occasions  urged  that  hill  cultivation  should  be  given  a 
fair  trial ;  it  enables  the  tiller  to  get  from  beets  most  satisfactory  results.  The  objec- 
tion, evidently,  is  that  special  agricultural  implements  are  needed.  In  Europe,  the 
rows  on  hills  are  either  single  or  double;  when  single,  the  harvesting  with  ordinary 
plow  may  give  good  results,  but  it  is  very  much  more  expensive  than  it  would  be 
with  a  special  double  row  harvester.  When  in  single  rows  on  hills  the  distance  be- 
tween rows  is  21£to  23£  inches;  when  in  double  rows  on  hills  the  distance  is  9  to  11 
inches,  while  the  hills  are  at  distances  which  vary  from  27  to  31  inches.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  as  regards  the  yield  in  hill  cultivation;  it  is  equal  and,  in  many  cases, 
is  superior  to  flat  cultivation,  as  the  roots  in  growing  find  less  resistance  to  overcome 
and  have  their  plant  food  within  easy  reach,  and  through  the  soil  there  is  a  better 
circulation  of  air;  furthermore,  there  need  be  no  evil  effects  from  badly  drained  or 
damp  soils  which,  under  ordinary  conditions,  are  almost  worthless." 

This  point  fs  worthy  the  attention  of  American  growers,  though  the  fact  that  flat 
culture  and  drills  have  thus  far  been  universal,  indicates  that  they  are  generally  satis- 
factory. One  thing  is  certain,  that  hillins  shoukl  not  be  practiced  on  dry  and  warm 
soils,  for  there  it  can  only  work  harm.  Hilling  up  may  be  of  benefit  on  cold  and  wet 
soils,  but  these  are  properly  treated  by  drainage.  Of  course  if  the  soil  gets  washed 


92  THE    SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

away  from  the  plants,  the  earth  should  be  drawn  up  about  tnem,  as   that  portion  of 
the  beet  that  shows  above  the  soil  is  of  inferior  quality. 

HOEING. 

The  first  hoeing,  which  is  very  important  for  the  growth  of  the  small  plants, 
must  be  given  with  an  ordinary  11  inch  hoe  between  the  rows,  going  li  to  2  inches 
deep,  and  as  soon  as  the  beets  break  through  the  ground,  or  if  crust  is  formed,  as 
soon  as  this  occurs,  following  the  press  wheel  marks. 

As  the  ground  will  have  become  packed  during  the  bunching  (or  spacing)  and 
thinning,  thus  preventing  proper  circulation  of  air,  and  the  young  plants,  moreover, 
will  have  become  weakened  by  their  disturbance;  and  for  the  further  reason  that  it 
is  cheaper  to  do  it  then,  the  second  hoeing  should  be  given  with  a  7-inch  hoe  the  day 
after  the  beets  are  thinned,  and  never  later  than  a  few  days  after,  care  being  taken 
to  kill  the  weeds  out  close  to  the  plant,  but  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  loosen  or 
injure  the  beets.  As  the  horse  cultivator  only  loosens  and  clears  the  ground  between 
the  rows,  the  hoe  must  perform  this  work  between  the  different  plants.  This  hoeing 
should  be  3  inches  deep.  A  similar  hoeing  may  be  necessary  twice  after  this,  the  last 
depending  upon  the  freedom  from  weeds,  also  upon  whether  the  ground  is  loose 
enough  to  enable  the  roots  to  grow.  Both  of  the  last  hoeings  should  be  as  deep  as  it 
is  possible  to  make  them  without  injuring  or  loosening  the  plant.  Under  ordinary 
circumstances  no  work  should  be  necessary  in  the  field  after  80  days  from  the  time  of 
planting  except  the  final  and  deepest  horse  cultivation. 

THINNING  OUT. 

Care  should  be  exercised  in  doing  this  part  of  the  work,  as  it  is  the  most  impor- 
tant of  all  the  cultivation  and  care  of  the  crop.  It  can  only  be  neglected  at  the 
expense  of  yield  and  quality  of  crop.  It  is  very  necessary  that  this  should  be  done 
just  at  the  right  time,  and  the  sooner  it  is  done  the  better  for  the  growth  and  yield 
of  the  crop.  As  soon  as  the  beets  have  four  leaves,  they  should  be  thinned,  and  must 
not  remain  longer  than  one  week  without  thinning,  as  the  roots  will  entwine  around 
each  other  if  left  longer,  and  make  the  thinning  detrimental  to  the  plant  that  is  left. 
To  perform  this  work,  the  beets  should  be  spaced  or  bunched  (directly  after  a  horse 
cultivation)  with  an  ordinary  6-inch  hoe,  cutting  6  inches  of  beets  out  and  leaving  a 
2-inch  bunch,  containing  from  three  to  six  beets.  After  the  beets  are  bunched,  the 
healthiest  plant  in  each  bunch  is  selected  by  the  thinner  to  be  left  standing,  his 
linger  is  placed  firmly  against  it  to  prevent  its  being  disturbed,  and  the  other  plants 
are  pulled  out  by  hand,  together  with  all  the  weeds  nearby.  This  operation  will 
leave  one  strong  single  plant  every  9  or  10  inches,  and  the  ground  should  be  pushed 
up  well  around  each,  but  not  packed.  Of  course,  it  is  better  to  select  the  strongest 
and  most  thrifty  plant,  even  if  it  is  not  at  the  regular  distance,  than  to  chose  a  weak- 
ly or  spindling  one  at  just  the  right  distance. 

If  thinned  when  only  four  leaves  are  on  the  plant,  the  top  soil  is  still  moist,  and 
the  beets  left  have  no  difficulty  in  taking  hold  and  growing  with  renewed  vigor,  but 
the  disturbance  occasioned  by  thinning  a  few  days  later  is  not  so  easily  overcome. 
The  top  soil  is  then  dryer,  and  the  young  beet  receives  a  set  back  that  will  certainly 


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THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


PLANET  JR.  TWO-HORSE 
CULTIVATOR. 


affect  the  yield.  Where  weeds  or  insects  are  not  to  be  feared,  the  spacing  may  be 
done  a  few  days  before  thinning.  On  the  other  hand,  if  there  is  any  reason  to  fear 
loss  of  the  young  plants,  it  is  more  prudent  to  wait  a  little  longer  before  doing  the 

work  of  spacing,  and  in  this  case  thinning  should 
follow  spacing  without  any  interval.  If  the  land 
is  very  rich,  the  final  plants  are  left  as  near 
together  as  6,  7  or  8  inches,  while  in  Utah, 
under  irrigation,  the  plants  are  even  thinned 
to  4  inches.  The  distance  apart  at  which  the 
beets  are  left  depends  not  only  upon  richness 
of  the  soil,  but  upon  the  probabilities  of  its 
having  sufficient  moisture.  In  the  rich  moist 
land  the  beets  can  stand  closer  together  than  on 
dryer  and  lighter  soils.  By  spacing  with  a 
hoe  a  more  regular  distance  is  secured  between 
each  beet,  and  all  the  weeds  in  the  row  are  destroyed  at  the  same  time;  the  crust  is 
also  broken  up  that  has  been  formed  by  the  pressure  of  the  wheel  of  the  seeder, 
and  it  removes  any  seeds  from  the  row  that  may  not  yet  have  germinated,  thus  avoid- 
ing, when  harvest  time  comes,  the  appearance  of  a  lot  of  small  beets  that  had  grown 
up  from  these  seeds.  This  spacing  with 
the  hoe  is  also  apt  to  increase  tonnage  and 
percentage  of  sugar. 

The  leaves  of  the  plant  are  the  means 
through  which  it  obtains  most  of  its  sugar. 
This  substance  is  composed  of  carbon  and 
oxygen,  both  of  which  are  mainly  taken  in 
by  the  leaves,  the  former  as  carbonic  acid. 
Mr  Ware,  in  his  great  work  on  the  sugar 
beet,  summarizes  experiments  by  himself 
and  others  to  show  that  the  saccharine 
content  of  the  beet  improved  with  the  num- 
ber and  weight  of  its  leaves.  "Each  leaf 
has  apparently  communication  with  a  given 
portion  of  the  beet,  and  supplies  it  with 
the  nourishment  it  requires.  The  outer 
leaf  corresponds  with  the  inner  portion  of 
the  root;  these  representing  the  older  leaves,  we  may  conclude  that  they  have  fur- 
nished the  larger  portion  of  the  saccharine  elements.  During  the  growth  of  the  leaf, 
the  root  increases  but  comparatively  little  in  size,  and  as  soon  as  completed,  the  con- 
trary action  takes  place.  Evidently,  the  greater  the  size  of  the  leaves,  the  larger  the 
amount  of  the  elements  they  are  able  to  abstract  from  the  surrounding  air,  and  the 
total  weight  of  the  leaves  is,  up  to  a  certain  period,  greater  than  that  of  the  root." 

The  smooth  and  tapering  shape  of  the  root  desired  depends  mainly  upon  the  soils 
where  it  grows  and  the  preparation  the  soil  has  received.  The  variety  of  seed  used 
has  of  course  some  influence  on  shape  of  root,  but  the  most  desirable  seed  for  this 


ANOTHER  FORM  OF 
CULTIVATOR. 

This  admirable  Planet  Jr.  tool  as  a  beet 
horse  hoe,  has  a  one  and  three-fourths  inch 
cultivator  tooth,  two  six-inch  hoes,  a  twelve- 
inch  special  flat  sweep,  and  a  pulverizer. 
The  latter  is  a  very  useful  attachment,  level- 
ing and  fining  the  surface  and  killin^  small 
weeds. 


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96  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

purpose  will  not  give  roots  of  satisfactory  form  on  an  unfavorable  and  poorly  pre- 
pared soil.     It  is  senseless  to  blame  the  seed  for  faults  in  the  soil. 

IRRIGATION. 

Utah  has  solved  the  problem  of  growing  beets  by  irrigation.  Her  experience 
teaches  many  practical  lessons  that  are  being  heeded  in  drouthy  or  irrigation 
regions.  Too  much  water,  applied  too  often  or  at  the  wrong  times,  is  bad  for  tonnage 
and  quality.  Great  damage  is  done  to  many  fields  of  beets  by  inexperienced  farmers 
flooding  the  land  and  allowing  the  water  to  stand  about  the  small  plants,  then 
neglecting  to  cultivate  until  the  soil  has  baked.  Even  in  Utah,  it  is  still  recognized 
that  the  management  of  irrigation  to  produce  the  best  results  is  a  delicate  matter, 
and  not  yet  fully  understood.  Untimely  irrigation  may  utterly  destroy  the  value  of 
the  roots  for  sugar  making,  and  the  necessity  of  varying  the  application  of  water 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  land,  in  order  to  secure  good  results,  implies  the  exer- 
cise of  much  judgment  and  experience  in  the  matter.  But  with  due  regard  to  all 
these  alleged  disadvantages  of  irrigation,  it  is  the  universal  judgment  of  Utah  beet 
growers,  after  six  years'  experience,  that  they  are  far  outweighed  by  the  benefits  of 
irrigation.  The  production  is  more  certain,  and  the  harvest  more  safely  assured, 
than  where  the  caprice  of  heavy  rains  or  excessive  drouth  has  to  be  contended  with. 
The  results  are  always  more  certain  where  irrigation  is  necessary  and  this  is  the 
greatest  stimulant  to  proper  methods  in  applying  water. 

Mr  George  Austin,  field  manager  of  the  Utah  Sugar  company,  has  had  more 
experience  than  any  other  man  in  growing  beets  by  irrigation.  Mr  Austin  says : 
">After  the  thinning  is  done  we  run  a  cultivator  drawn  by  a  horse  through  the  rows, 
but  great  care  must  be  taken  not  to  cultivate  too  deep  or  hill  up  the  young  plants,  as 
they  require  all  the  air  and  sunlight  that  it  is  possible  for  them  to  have.  After  the 
first  cultivation  we  generally  hoe  them  the  second  time  to  clean  out  all  the  weeds  in 
the  rows  and  remove  any  surplus  beets  that  may  have  been  overlooked  at  the  time  of 
thinning.  By  this  time  the  beets  should  be  far  enough  advanced  to  commence  pre- 
paring for  irrigation.  This  we  do  by  using  the  same  cultivator,  attaching  a  small 
6-inch  furrower  on  the  rear  end,  and  we  cultivate  every  other  row,  leaving  a  nice 
little  ditch  of  sufficient  size  to  carry  the  water  without  flooding  the  beets.  The  sec- 
ond watering  we  alternate  the  rows — this  method  usually  gives  enough  moisture  each 
watering,  but  this  kind  of  irrigation,  however,  depends  entirely  on  the  slope  and 
condition  of  the  lund.  If  the  land  has  much  of  a  slope,  and  is  inclined  to  be  a  light, 
sandy  loam,  it  may  be  necessary  to  water  each  row  every  time  you  irrigate  during 
the  season,  but  the  latter  is  an  exception  to  the  rule  with  us. 

"We  never  commence  irrigating  until  the  beets  show  they  require  moisture, 
(usually  letting  them  suffer  a  few  days),  and  by  so  doing  it  always  gives  us  a  nice 
shaped,  long,  tapering  beet.  If  the  first  watering  is  applied  too  early  we  usually  have 
a  short,  spriggy,  undesirable  beet.  Too  much  manure  or  alkali  will  have  the  same 
effect  on  sugar  beets.  We  generally  have  to  make  cross  ditches  en  our  beet  fields  on 
about  every  20  to  30  rods,  depending  upon  the  slope  and  nature  of  the  land.  If  we 
run  the  water  farther  than  this  it  usually  saturates  the  upper  part  of  the  field  too 
much,  before  the  lower  end  gets  sufficient.  Great  care  must  be  taken  in  turning  the 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY.  97 

water  on  the  beets  not  to  force  too  much  into  the  furrows,  causing  it  to  flood  or  over- 
flow, and  this  must  be  avoided  if  possible.  Therefore  it  is  essential  to  select  land  for  this 
crop,  as  much  as  possible,  with  a  nice  slope.  We  always  cultivate  the  rows  after  each 
watering  as  soon  as  we  can,  cultivating  them  from  5  to  6  inches  deep.  This  allows 
the  beets  to  develop,  and  also  helps  to  retain  the  moisture  much  longer  than  it  would 


FREMONT  SUGAR  BEET  CULTIVATOR. 

This  Nebraska  invention  is  the  result  of  several  years'  work  in  the  beet  fields  of  that  state.  The 
machine  is  simple,  light,  compact  and  easily  adjustable  for  either  deep  or  shallow  cultivation.  The 
four  spiders  provided  are  used  in  case  the  soil  becomes  crusted  on  the  surface,  thereby  preventing  the 
beets  from  showing  through  the  ground.  There  are  four  knives  that  are  used  in  cultivating  the  beets 
when  very  small.  These  are  different  from  any  used  heretofore,  and  are  so  shaped  as  to  permit  the 
party  handling  the  machine  to  work  very  close  to  the  plant  without  danger  of  covering  the  plant  with 
dirt.  The  four  small  shovels  are  used  for  the  deeper  cultivation,  and  the  two  large  shovels  are  for  the 
final  and  deepest  cultivation. 


PLANET  JR.  BEET  GROWERS'  HORSE  HOE. 

This  machine  has  been  perfected  by  Utah  experience,  and  is  very  popular  there.  The  teeth  loosen 
the  soil  thoroughly  without  throwing  earth  on  the  small  plants.  The  little  plow  at  the  rear  is  the  "ir- 
rigating tooth,  to  make  a  clean  furrow  through  which  the  water  will  run  for  irrigation. 

otherwise.  Care  must  be  taken  all  through  the  season  not  to  hill  up  the  beets,  or 
break  off  the  leaves.  We  generally  water  our  beets  two  to  four  times  during  the  sea- 
son, and  it  usually  takes  about  20  to  30  days  after  the  last  watering  before  the  beets 
are  ready  for  harvesting. ' ' 

Mr  Morgan  Woodhouse,  another  Utah  grower  of  experience  writes:  "My  idea  is 
to  let  them  go  as  long  in  the  spring  without  water  as  you  dare,  say  until  the  bottom 


98  THE  SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

leaves  wilt  down  and  the  tops  begin  to  change  from  a  light  or  yellowish  green  to  a 
dark  green.  After  the  first  watering  they  should  be  kept  wet.  i  would  not  be  in  fa- 
vor of  going  to  an  extreme,  but  I  would  not  allow  them  to  get  dry  if  I  could  help  it. 
The  length  of  time  between  waterings  should  vary,  according  to  the  land,  from  8  to  14 
days.  The  last  watering  should  be  about  the  last  of  August  or  the  first  of 
September.  * ' 

Another  expert,  Mr  Samuel  Taylor  says:  "I  do  not  believe  it  is  good  to  irrigate 
too  soon.  Let  your  beets  get  up  and  get  them  thinned,  letting  them  have  a  pretty 
good  start.  When  the  lower  leaves  begin  to  wilt  and  the  tops  turn  a  dark  green,  the 
water  should  be  first  applied.  Of  course  when  you  start  you  must  keep  it  up.  Three 
or  four  waterings  will  make  a  good  crop  of  beets.  Four  are  better  than  three,  and  if 
you  can  get  four  good  irrigations  on  a  crop  of  beets  I  am  satisfied  they  will  mature 
and  make  a  good  crop.  With  respect  to  the  last  watering ;  one  year  we  were  told  to 
stop  watering  too  early  and  we  lost  a  great  many  beets  by  it.  I  would  water  the  last 
time  about  the  last  of  August,  if  watered  up  to  this  date  the  beets  will  be  all  right." 

In  Nebraska  it  is  felt  that  proper  irrigation  will  often  insure  the  crop,  but  expe- 
rience has  so  far  been  limited.  Mr  F.  Wietzer,  field  manager  for  the  Norfolk  fac- 
tory, summarizes  the  matter  for  this  work  as  follows:  "We  have  taken  much  interest 
in  irrigation  of  sugar  beets.  Last  year  there  was  raised  90  acres  by  irrigation,  and 
the  results  were  very  satisfactory,  as  well  in  quality  as  quantity.  Beets  should  never 
be  irrigated  until  they  show  actual  need  of  it.  No  water  should  be  put  on  them  as 
long  as  there  is  a  natural  supply  of  water  in  the  ground,  for  too  much  water  is  almost 
as  disastrous  as  not  enough.  After  you  have  onco  commenced  putting  water  on  land, 
it  dries  out  more  quickly  than  before  and  will  require  watering  the  second  time.  The 
number  of  irrigations  that  a  crop  requires  during  the  season  depends  entirely  upon 
local  surroundings,  nature  and  condition  of  land.  The  first  irrigation  should  not  be 
before  the  middle  of  June,  and  no  water  should  be  applied  after  the  first  week  in 
August.  Beets  should  never  be  irrigated  in  the  fall,  for  irrigating  at  that  time  will 
bring  forth  new  tops  and  give  the  roots  a  second  growth,  which  is  disastrous  to  the 
quality.  A  very  advantageous  method  of  irrigation  is  this:  When  the  spring  is  very 
dry,  to  soak  the  land  from  the  irrigation  ditches,  and  then  as  soon  as  the  soil  is  dry 
enough,  prepare  seed  bed  and  plant  seed." 

Mr  Granger,  field  manager  of  the  Utah  Sugar  Co,  spoke  of  irrigation  at  length  in 
his  address  before  the  Pecos  valley  beet  growers  in  New  Mexico.  Among  other  things 
he  said  :  "As  soon  as  you  have  commenced  irrigating,  see  that  the  beet  is  kept  sup- 
plied with  sufficient  moisture  to  keep  it  thrifty.  It  will  take  thirty  days  from  the 
last  irrigation  before  you  can  harvest,  usually;  on  very  sandy  land  twenty-five  days,  on 
clay  land  thirty  days.  This  delay  is  necessary  because,  when  you  are  through  irrigat- 
ing for  the  last  time,  the  beets  are  nearly  through  growing  and  the  sugar  is  forming. 
When  given  an  irrigation,  the  sugar  in  the  beets  will  go  down  for  fifteen  days,  and  it 
will  take  a  little  longer  to  get  back  again.  A  great  many  people  ask  me  how  many 
times  they  shall  irrigate.  I  cannot  tell  them  without  seeing  the  field.  When  the 
leaves  wilt  down  in  the  middle  of  the  day  it  is  not  so  bad,  but  when  they  stay  wilted 
in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  give  them  a  drink.  Let  them  suffer  a  little  for  water  in 
the  fore  part  of  the  season ;  it  will  force  the  taproot  to  reach  down  for  moisture.  In 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


99 


irrigating  beets,  we  take  every  other  row,  and  find  that  the  water  when  run  slowly 
will  irrigate  both.  Then  we  alternate  the  next  time,  and  run  water  through  the  other 
rows,  giving  the  beets  moisture  on  both  sides.  After  every  irrigation  cultivate  as 
deep  as  you  can,  practically  eight  inches.  It  is  necessary  to  loosen  the  ground  around 
the  beet  so  that  it  may  have  a  chance  to  develop.  To  do  this  we  take  a  little 
A-shaped  sweep,  with  the  point  running  into  the  ground,  and  all  it  does  is  to  lift  the 
ground  a  little,  but  it  loosens  the  soil  around  the  beet.  In  Utah,  our  water  is  run  to 
us  in  canals  and  ditches  in  which  we  are  all  interested,  and  have  turns  to  use  it. 
Only  two  or  three  nights  before  I  left  home,  I  found  a  water  notice  at  my  house, 
stating  that  the  water  would  be  given  me  at  8  that  evening  and  taken  off  at  4  in  the 


THE  MOLINE  BEET  CULTIVATOR 

Can  be  used  to  work  either  four  or  two  rows.  The  gangs  are  so  adjusted  that  they  can  be  handled  with 
ease,  and  the  shovels  are  so  adjusted  as  to  be  run  right  up  close  to  the  beets.  This  cultivator  is  widely 
used  in  American  beet  fields. 


morning.  At  4,  my  neighbor  is  there,  and  he  takes  it.  We  never  have  more  than  30 
minutes  to  the  acre  in  Lehi,  and  sometimes  it  is  cut  down  to  15  minutes,  during 
which  the  water  is  allowed  us." 

William  Bone,  Jr,  another  very  successful  beet  grower  for  the  Lehi  concern,  says : 
"I  think  beets  can  hardly  have  too  much  water  at  certain  times,  which  can  only  be 
judged  by  practical  experience.  A  great  deal  depends  upon  the  season  and  the  land, 
too.  I  would  not  water  them  until  they  show  that  they  need  it  the  first  time.  In 
naturally  light  land  they  will  stand  watering  pretty  early.  They  should  have  at  least 
two  good  cultivations  before  they  are  watered  at  all.  In  regard  to  the  last  watering, 
m'y  idea  is  with  them  the  same  as  with  any  other  crop.  If  you  let  any  crop  wither 
and  die,  it  is  not  good  for  anything.  It  naturally  loses  its  strength  and  vitality. 


100  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

Water  will  not  stop  the  beets  from  ripening,  that  is,  unless  the  land  is  wet  and  clayey, 
-and  of  course  a  person  should  know  better  than  to  water  such  land  late  in  the  season. 
Beets  that  have  been  well  watered  will  not  be  affected  nearly  so  much  by  the  late 
;storms  as  those  that  have  not  been  well  watered.  My  experience  is  that  beets  need 
some  alkali,  but  I  do  not  think  that  very  strong  alkali  land  i,«  good  for  them.  There 
is  naturally  more  or  less  alkali  in  all  our  land,  unless  it  is  the  light,  loamy  soil.  Beets 
like  manure.  Even  here  in  Utah,  all  our  land  needs  manure  for  beets.  Of  course  a 
person  can  go  to  an  extreme,  but  as  a  rule  all  our  lands  need  manuring.  There  is  one 
thing  more  about  preparing  land  for  beets :  I  am  sure  that  many  of  our  people  tramp 
their  land  too  much.  Some  of  it  becomes  packed  very  heavy  before  the  beets  are  put 
in.  After  the  beets  have  come  up  the  land  cannot  be  cultivated  too  much." 

We  may  add  that  frequent  and  thorough  culture  is  the  best  substitute  for  irriga- 
tion. With  it,  the  beet  will  stand  quite  severe  drouth.  During  the  great  drouth  of 
'94,  in  the  valley  of  the  Platte,  Nebraska,  beets  stood  the  drouth  better  than  corn 
-did,  for  tne  subsoil  is  of  sand  and  the  water  is  only  10  to  15  feet  below  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  so  that  the  roots  of  the  beets  can  almost  penetrate  to  the  water. 

HARVESTING. 

It  requires  about  four  and  one-half  to  five  months  after  planting  to  procure  ripe 
beets,  although  in  California  the  time  varies  from  120  to  160  days.  After  they  have  been 
in  the  ground  that  length  of  time,  and  the  outer  leaves  turn  yellow  and  die  down,  it  is 
an  indication  that  the  beets  are  ripening.  The  maximum  of  sugar  and  purity  is  usual- 
ly obtained  during  the  month  of  October  over  much  of  the  country  where  ordinarily  se- 
vere winters  are  experienced,  but  in  the  Southwest  and  California,  maturity  on  moist 
.and  late  lands  may  not  be  reached  until  considerably  later.  The  factory  usually  sam- 
ples several  fields  before  advising  growers  to  enter  upon  the  general  harvest.  As  the 
beets  increase  in  tonnage  mostly  during  the  last  six  weeks  of  their  growth,  the  har- 
vesting with  full  force  should  not  be  started  too  early.  On  the  other  hand,  the  beets 
1  must  be  out  of  the  ground  before  hard  freezing  weather,  as  alternate  freezing  and 
thawing  injures  the  sugar  content.  In  case  of  a  severe  freeze  before  harvest  is  com- 
pleted, it  may  be  best  to  leave  the  balance  of  the  roots  in  the  ground  for  a  few  days 
until  normal  weather  is  restored,  as  the  quick  thawing  out  of  the  beets  might  seri- 
ously impair  their  sugar  content. 

The  beets  may  be  plowed  loose  from  8  to  10  days  before  removing  from  the 
ground,  using  a  plow  with  a  thin  blade,  which  splits  the  soil  between  the  rows.  In- 
stead of  the  share  it  has  a  narrow  blade  in  the  nature  of  a  subsoil  point,  enough  to 
carry  it  deep  into  the  ground.  The  use  of  the  plow  avoids  the  injury  to  the  beet 
caused  by  spades,  hoes  or  shovels,  and  it  is  then  easier  also  to  remove  the  b^et  plant 
from  the  hard  soil.  Treated  in  this  manner,  the  roots  ripen  and  gain  in  weight  and 
sugar;  the  earth  adheres  less  to  the  root  and  can  be  shaken  off  with  ease.  In  Ne- 
braska, a  two-horse  puller  is  used  (Page  105)  which  loosens  the  beets,  but  leaves  them 
in  the  ground.  Whatever  method  is  employed,  the  tops  are  taken  hold  of  by  boys, 
who  pull  the  beets  and  throw  them  into  piles.  Another  set  of  boys  cuts  off  the  tops 
with  a  beet  knife,  and  for  this  purpose,  the  point  of  an  old  scythe  set  in  a  handle  is 
about  as  good  a  tool  as  one  can  use,  or  a  corn  knife.  The  topping  is  best  accom- 


102  THIS   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

plished  by  a  deep,  straight  cut  across  the  beet  without  whittling,  including  the  base 
of  the  rough  portion  of  the  top,  from  which  the  leaves  grow 

It  is  important  that  the  top  of  the  beet  be  cut  off  down  to  the  neck  so  as  to  in- 
clude with  the  top  all  that  portion  of  the  beet  to  which  the  stems  of  the  leaves  have 
been  attached.  "The  object  of  removing  this  portion  of  the  beet  is  to  prevent  the 
mineral  salts,  which  have  accumulated  in  large  quantities  therein,  from  entering  the 
factory.  These  mineral  salts  exercise  a  very  deleterious  influence  on  the  crystalliza- 
tion of  the  sugar,  and  therefore  should  be  removed.  They  are  well  fitted  for  fertili- 
zing purposes  and  are  of  more  value  when  left  upon  the  soil  than  when  removed  to  the 
factory."  These  tops  of  the  beets,  with  the  attached  leaves,  are  admirable  for 
fodder. 

Another  important  point  in  harvesting  beets  is  to  have  them  as  tree  from  dirt  as 
possible.  When  beets  arrive  at  the  Nebraska  factories,  an  average  50  Ibs  is  taken 
from  each  load.  They  are  tlien  thoroughly  washed  and  examined  to  see  if  properly 
topped,  then  weighed  again,  the  loss  determining  the  tare.  The  greater  the  amount  of 
dirt  on  the  roots  or  the  more  improperly  they  are  topped,  the  larger  is  the  loss  in 
weight  or  tare.  The  farmer  not  only  has  to  stand  this  loss  but  he  also  bears  the  ex- 
pense of  hauling  and  handling  this  unnecessary  dirt.  Not  only  that,  but  the  dirt 
adhering  to  the  roots  is  the  finest  part  of  the  soil  and  very  often  the  richest  and  best 
portion,  and  in  a  few  years,  a  surprising  amount  of  soil  is  thus  taken  from  the  land. 
Some  careful  beet  growers  not  only  try  to  deliver  beets  as  clean  as  possible,  but  in- 
stead of  returning  with  their  wagons  empty,  load  up  with  the  waste  deposited  from 
the  washer  at  the  factory,  which  contains  not  only  the  rich  earth  that  has  been 
washed  from  the  beets,  but  also  the  tip  ends  of  roots,  etc,  all  of  which  possess  ferti- 
lizing value  of  importance. 

Several  harvesting  machines  to  both  dig  and  top  the  beets  have  been  tried  but  up 
to  the  past  season,  all  have  been  discarded.  Numerous  clever  and  practical  minds  are 
at  work  on  the  problem  and  it  is  probable  that  a  satisfactory  machine  to  take  the 
beets  from  the  soil  and  top  them  will  soon  be  perfected.  There  are  several  very  suc- 
cessful machines  for  simply  digging  or  plowing  out  the  beets,  several  of  which  are 
shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration?. 

The  beets,  after  being  topped,  are  then  thrown  into  wagons,  covered  with  sacking 
and  hauled  to  the  factory,  or  stored  in  silos  in  the  ground.  In  delivering  beets 
from  the  field  to  the  factory,  wagons  hauled  by  horses  or  mules  are  usually  employed 
in  this  country.  It  is  a  question,  however,  whether  a  more  economical  method  is  not 
possible,  when  the  factory  is  in  the  midst  of  the  beet  fields.  In  this  case,  a  movable 
railway  with  light  rails  and  sleepers,  that  could  be  moved  quickly  and  cheaply  as  the 
beets  were  harvested,  would  enable  one  horse  to  draw  a  car  containing  more  beets 
than  the  ordinary  two-horse  wagon  will  carry.  An  overhead  trolley  upon  which  bas- 
kets of  beets  are  drawn  by  ropes  might  be  used,  or  on  a  large  scale,  where  a  factory 
is  equipped  with  electricity,  a  movable  overhead  trolley  employing  electrical  power 
to  push  the  car  along,  might  be  feasible.  Beets  cannot  be  hauled  by  wagon  more 
than  from  4  to  8  miles  without  its  costing  more  than  the  traffic  will  bear.  Of  course 


THE   BEET   SUGAR    INDUSTRY. 


103 


where  they  are  delivered  to  the  railroad,  the  loaded  freight   cars  are  run  by  a  spur 
track  direct  to  the  factory  yard  or  shed. 

Mr  Ware  says  that  "A  great  mistake  made  by  many  farmers  is  not  to  cover  their 
beets  as  soon  as  pulled,  for  if  left  on  the  ground  they  may  lose  6  per  cent  moisture  in 
24  hours.  Place  them  in  silos,  if  possible  at  once,  until  needed  at  factory.  The  loss 
of  moisture  can  attain  within  a  few  days  20  per  cent,  the  quality  of  the  juice  is  not 


THE  MATURE  SUGAR  BEET. 

Plant  150  or  160  days  old,  Vilmorin  variety,  with  its  root  system,  about  one-twelfth  natural  size. 
This  plate  from  Bulletin  44,  Nebraska  experiment  station,  evidently  reduced  one-half  from  larger  plate 
in  Bulletin  27,  Division  of  Chemistry,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture. 

improved,  changes  take  place,  and  the  manufacturer  frequently  has  considerable  dif- 
ficulty in  working  such  beets.  The  farmer  loses,  so  does  the  manufacturer.  A  neg- 
lect of  this  kind  is  more  serious  than  most  American  farmers  reali?.e. " 

STORING  BEETS. 

In  the  mild  climate  of  California,  the  beets  are  dumped  in  large  sheds  at  the  fac- 
tory, or  are  simply  left  in  huge  piles  outdoors.  The  loss  in  sugar  content  seems  to  be 


104  THE    SUGAK   INDUSTRY. 

comparatively  slight  for  a  few  weeks,  and  the   beets  are  worked  up  before   material 
injury  occurs. 

In  the  colder  climate  of  Utah,  where  the  temperature  goes  as  low  as  in  any  part 
of  the  United  States,  it  was  formerly  thought  that  the  beets  must  be  carefully  stored 
in  expensive  silos  or  sheds.  Hence  when  the  Lehi  factory  was  first  tuilt,  the  five 
frost  proof  beet  sheds  shown  on  Page  111  were  built — of  lumber,  the  walls  being  lined 
with  straw.  Each  shed  is  500  ft  long  and  26  ft  wide,  constructed  with  a  sluice  in  the 
center  so  that  the  beets  can  be  shoveled  into  it  and  brought  to  the  factory  by  water, 
which  is  not  only  economy  of  labor  but  it  gives  them  a  thorough  washing. 

Manager  Cutler  writes:  ""We  have  discovered  since  then,  that  frost  is  something 
we  are  not  afraid  of,  providing  that  our  beets  are  brought  here  in  a  perfect  state.  We 
have  erected  since  then  several  platforms,  one  of  which  has  sides  to  it,  but  the  top  is 
left  entirely  open.  It  is  500  feet  long  by  34  feet  wide,-  and  will  hold  fully  3000  tons 
of  beets.  We  also  have  other  platforms  with  a  sluice  in  the  center,  but  without  any 
sides,  and  we  use  a  movable  railroad  track — as  fast  as  the  beets  are  unloaded  the  track 
is  moved  further  out,  until  we  have  an  enormous  pile  resting  on  the  plank  or  plat- 
form as  above  described.  This  system  has  worked  admirably,  and  the  best  beets  we 
had  stored  were  those  that  were  left  entirely  open  to  the  weather.  The  system  of 
storing  in  large  open  piles  has  proven  satisfactory  under  our  conditions.  We  have 
stored  some  6000  tons  of  beets  in  piles  on  the  bare  ground,  sluices  having  first  been 
constructed  to  carry  the  beets  by  water  to  the  factory  from  the  piles.  When  the  frost 
came(and  we  had  the  temperature  as  low  as  10  degrees  below  zero  in  December,  1896, ) 
it  froze  over  the  surface  of  the  stored  beets  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  beets,  but 
there  was  enough  vegetable  heat  generated  in  the  large  pile  to  keep  the  beets  in  good 
condition  and  we  have  never  yet  lost  a  beet  from  frost.  We  are  more  afraid  of  the 
sun's  rays  than  we  are  of  frost.  There  was  some  loss  of  sugar  in  the  small  outside 
layer  of  beets  that  was  frosted,  but  it  was  not  enough  to  be  of  much  importance,  and 
the  loss  is  infinitesimal  compared  with  the  expense  of  storing  in  sheds." 

The  two  past  seasons  are  the  only  ones  in  which  this  method  of  storing  in  large 
open  piles  without  protection  from  the  weather  has  been  tried  in  severe  American 
winters.  The  author  is  not  yet  ready  to  recommend  this  method,  as  a  general  prac- 
tice, in  the  severe  cold  weather  and  alternating  freezing  and  thawing  of  a  northern, 
winter  in  the  middle  or  eastern  states.  It  should  be  carefully  experimented  with  un- 
der the  conditions  in  each  locality. 

This  plan  is  not  feasible  on  the  farm.  Even  in  Utah,  the  factory  authorities  have 
preferred  that  the  farmers  store  their  late  beets  in  the  field  according  to  the  system 
much  in  vogue  in  Europe.  When  this  is  done,  the  factory  pays  the  farmer  25  to  35c 
per  ton  for  thus  storing  the  beets  and  delivering  them  when  wanted.  For  this  pur- 
pose, the  Utah  plan  is  to  dig  a  few  rows  of  beets,  then  to  run  a  tongue  scraper  down 
the  field,  making  a  shallow  trench.  As  the  beats  are  dug  and  topped,  they  are  thrown 
into  this  trench  and  covered  with  leaves,  a  furrow  is  plowed  down  each  side  to  drain 
off  the  water,  if  it  should  storm,  and  the  leaves  are  covered  with  a  little  dirt  to  keep 
them  from  blowing  off  the  beets.  The  beets  thus  stored  have  generally  come  in  good 
condition.  Some  were  frozen,  but  as  a  rule,  the  farmers  feel  that  they  can  store  the 
beets  and  deliver  them  at  almost  any  time  within  two  or  three  months  in  good  condi- 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


105 


tion.  At  the  same  time,  experience  at  the  Utah  factory  is  rather  against  trying  to 
make  too  long  a  run,  owing  to  the  possibilities  of  loss  in  quality  as  well  as  other  chances. 
Siloing  in  the  field  has  to  be  more  carefully  done  in  Nebraska,  and  after  six  years' 
experience  the  Norfolk  factory  recommends  this  plan,  which  is  a  modification  of  Eu- 
ropean methods:  "In  the  first  place  do  not  harvest  your  beets  until  they  are  ripe,  as 
green  beets  do  not  keep  as  well  in  silos  as  ripe  ones,  and  besides  should  you  harvest 
when  too  green  they  might  not  contain  the  necessary  12  per  cent  of  sugar  with  80 
purity.  In  an  average  Nebraska  season  no  beets  should  be  siloed  before  October 


THE  WALKING  BEET  PULLER. 

This  homely  device  is  much  used.    There  are  several  varieties  of  it.    The  tool  is  quite  popular  in  lieu  of  a  better  one.. 

15th,  and  if  the  weather  is  warm  it  would  be  better  to  wait  until  the  20th,  but  in  no 
case  should  the  beets  be  allowed  to  remain  unharvested  (and  not  siloed)  until  the 
ground  freezes.  Frost-bitten  beets  will  not  keep ;  therefore  all  beets  that  you  silo 
must  be  free  from  frost  and  be  covered  up  the  same  day  that  they  are  harvested. 

"We  would  advise  making  five  to  seven  silos  to  the  acre,  placing  not  less  than  two 
tons  in  each  silo.  When  ready  to  silo,  lift  the  beets  from  40  to  45  rows  with  a  horse 
harvester.  These  loosened  beets  must  then  be  pulled  out  of  the  ground  by  hand  and 
thrown  in  piles.  It  is  advisable,  in  case  the  strip  you  have  lifted  contains  45  rows, 
to  make  a  pile  every  six  rods  the  length  of  the  strip,  and  as  this  section  of  the  45  rows. 


106  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

is  about  four  rods  wide  and  six  rods  long,  each  silo  would  thus  contain  the  beets  from 
24  square  rods  (about  one-seventh  of  one  acre).  To  prevent  unnecessary  handling  it 
is  advisable  to  first  pull  out  the  beets  from  the  middle  of  the  marked  24  square  rods, 
placing  them  in  such  shape  as  to  make  a  vacant  place  in  the  center  about  one  rod 
wide  and  two  rods  long,  then  to  pull  the  balance  of  the  beets,  throwing  them  into  a 
windrow  close  to  and  surrounding  this  vacant  spot.  When  this  is  finished,  top  the 
beets  (at  the  base  of  the  bottom  leaves)  with  one  stroke  of  the  knife  and  throw  them 
in  the  vacant  place,  making  a  pile  four  feet  wide  and  not  over  three  feet  high,  the 
length  of  the  pile  depending,  entirely  upon  the  yield.  After  all  the  beets  are  topped 
and  piled  up  in  proper  shape,  cover  the  pile  with  six  inches  of  dirt,  being  careful  not 
to  have  any  leaves  or  straw  on  the1  beets  or  mixed  with  them,  and  also  to  leave  wide 
open  a  hole  one  foot  in  diameter,  every  five  feet  on  top  of  the  pile  (at  least  two  in 
each  pile),  for  ventilation,  as  beets  will  sweat  some  after  siloing. 

"It  is  generally  advisable  not  to  put  much  more  than  six  inches  of  dirt  over  the 
beets  in  October,  but  to  keep  them  free  from  frost  you  should  cover  the  silo  before 
the  weather  gets  cold,  say  about  ten  days  or  two  weeks  after  harvesting,  in  any  case 
before  hard  frost  sets  in,  evenly,  with  five  to  six  inches  of  loose  straw,  leaving  the 
ventilation  holes  uncovered,  and  place  about  two  inches  of  dirt  on  top  of  the  straw  to 
prevent  it  from  blowing  away  and  for  the  purpose  of  packing  it,  as  when  well  packed 
it  will  best  keep  the  cold  air  out  of  the  silo.  Thus  the  covering  will  finally  be  com- 
posed of  six  inches  of  dirt,  two  inches  of  packed  straw  and  then  two  inches  more 
dirt.  In  an  ordinary  season  such  covering  should  keep  your  beets  from  freezing,  but 
should  there  be  exceptionally  cold  weather  you  might  find  it  necessary  (in  case  we 
have  not  ordered  all  your  beets  delivered  to  the  factory  by  that  time)  to  cover  the  re- 
maining piles  with  some  long  manure.  As  soon  as  the  covering  of  silo  freezes  two 
inches,  .shut  the  ventilation  holes  with  dirt  and  then  keep  them  shut." 

Formerly  the  farmers  were  opposed  to  thus  storing  the  beets,  even  when  paid  30c 
per  ton  for  so  doing,  but  experience  in  '95  arid  '96  convinces  them  that  it  is  an  advan- 
tage to  the  grower  also  because  it  gives  him  a  longer  time  in  which  to  deliver  the 
•crop.  Concerning  the  way  in  which  beets  keep  in  these  silos,  Mr  Wietzer  of  the  Nor- 
folk factory  writes  us : 

"Regarding  loss  in  actual  sugar  of  beets  kept  in  silos,  we  have  no  actual  results, 
but  we  have  found  that  beets  lose  very  little  or  nothing  of  their  saccharine  matter 
within  the  first  two  months  after  siloing.  In  the  old  country,  it  is  no  secret  that 
beets  lose  at  least  1  to  1|  per  cent  of  saccharine  matter  during  a  three  months'  time 
in  silo,  mostly  in  cases  when  weather  is  warm.  Experiments  made  within  the  last 
few  years  have,  however,  shown  that  beets  raised  without  fertilizer  lose  compara- 
tively very  little  in  silos,  while  beets  raised  with  nitrate  of  soda  show  the  greatest 
loss. ' ' 

Summarizing  the  most  recent  European  experience  on  this  point  Ware  says:  "It 
has  been  demonstrated  that  the  loss  of  sugar  in  silos  is  due  to  elevation  of  tempera- 
ture and  too  much  ventilation,  the  greatest  loss  of  sugar  always  corresponding  to  the 
anost  active  respiration  of  the  plant.  From  this  the  conclusion  might  be  drawn  that 
by  keeping  air  out  entirely  the  problem  could  be  solved;  but  decomposition  of  the 
roots  then  would  certainly  follow.  When  ventilation  is  too  active,  considerable  loss 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


107 


of  moistuTe  is  the  consequence;  and  when  this  is  excessively  low  the  piotoplasms 
die,  followed  by  alteration  in  the  beet  cells.  The  most  desirable  temperature  for 
silos  appears  to  be  35.6  degrees  to  41  degrees  F.  Avoid  all  bruises  of  roots  to  be  kept, 
is  a  maxim  never  to  be  lost  sight  of  in  beets  that  are  to  be  stored.  Twist  off  the 
leaves,  but  do  not  attempt  topping."  We  may  add  that  Nebraska  experience  is 


BEET  HARVESTER  WITH  TOPPING  ARRANGEMENT. 

This  Nebraska  invention  failed  in  practice  so  far  as  topping  the  beets  is  concerned.  No  machine,  in  Europe  or  Amer- 
ica, has  yet  been  devised  that  will  loosen  the  beets,  lift  them  from  the  soil,  top  them  properly,  and  deliver  them  at 
side  of  row  ready  for  factory  or  silo.  The  attempt  illustrated  above  should  pave  the  way  to  some  one's  success  in  per- 
fecting such  a  machine. 

against  the  hint  in  the  last  sentence,  as  two  handlings  of  the  beets   cost   more   than 
the  loss  in  sugar  due  to  absence  of  top  or  necks  on  beets  in  silo. 

The  system  of  drying  beets  has  been  tried  on  a  small  scale  in  California.  In  that 
extremely  dry  and  warm  climate,  the  fresh  beets  when  sliced  shrink  to  one-fourth 
their  original  weight  by  loss  of  water  in  from  three  to  four  weeks'  exposure  to  air  and 
sun.  These  topped  beets  contain  from  50  to  65  per  cent  of  sugar  and  can  of  course  be 
shipped  by  rail  any  reasonable  distance.  The  process  has  only  been  tried  on  a  small 
scale  and  great  care  had  to  be  exercised  to  keep  the  beet  chips  from  fermenting  and 


108 


THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


spoiling  entirely.  Whether  this  can  be  guarded  against  sufficiently  to  make  the  drying 
process  practical  remains  to  be  seen.  Should  it  prove  to  be  feasible,  it  is  possible  that 
such  evaporated  or  desiccated  beets  might  be  kept  to  supply  the  factories  when  their 
original  stock  of  beets  was  exhausted.  In  the  absence  of  larger  tests  of  this  necessity, 
it  is  useless  to  speculate  about  it,  and  the  expense  of  cutting  and  drying  the  beets 
seems  to  be  an  almost  insurmountable  obstacle. 

FEEDING     AND  STORING  BEET  PULP,    TOPS  AND  MOLASSES. 

The  pulp  from  the  beets  after  the  sugar  is  extracted,  makes  an  admirable  feed  for 
all  stock — horses,  cattle,  sheep,  swine  and  poultry.  Yet  its  value  for  this  purpose  is 
only  beginning  to  be  appreciated!  in  this  country,  though  in  Europe  the  farmers  would 
no  more  think  of  allowing  beet  pulp  to  go  to  waste  than  our  farmers  would  think  of 
curing  hay  for  fuel.  At  the  Utah  factory,  a  feeding  company  has  contracted  for  all 
the  pulp  for  a  series  of  years,  and  have  erected  adjacent  to  the  factory  (so  as  to  save 
all  hauling  and  handling  possible)  a  complete  system  of  sheds  and  feeding  pens.  Two 
thousand  head  of  cattle  are  fattened  here  each  season  for  market.  They  eat  the  pulp 
greedily,  consuming  from  100  to  125  Ibs  per  head  each  day,  besides  about  15  Ibs 
of  hay.  These  cattle  command  a  very  good  market,  the  meat  being  .very  juicy  and 
tender.  The  cattle  fatten  quickly  under  proper  conditions  and  as  the  company  gets 
the  pomace  or  pulp  for  nothing,  except  the  cost  of  removing  it  from  the  factory,  the 
enterprise  is  a  profitable  one.  The  past  season  over  1000  sheep  were  fattened  here  on 
pulp.  At  Watsonville,  1700  cattle  were  fed  at  the  creamery  silo,  and  beets  that  fall 
from  the  wagons  there  are  also  used  as  stook  feed,  whereas  it  was  formerly  neces- 
sary to  dump  the  pulp  in  the  ocean  to  get  rid  of  it.  Dairymen  pay  15c  per  ton  for 
having  the  pulp  loaded  on  cars  at  factory,  and  50c  to  $1  per  ton  freight,  so  that  it 
costs  them  75c  to  $1.15  per  ton,  besides  hauling  from  local  depot  to  farm;  at  these 
terms,  they  consider  it  the  cheapest  and  best  feed. 

The  feeding  value  of  beet  pomace  depends  mainly  upon  the  quantities  of  protein 
(nitrogenous  matter),  sugar,  starch,  fiber  and  fat  it  contains,  and  upon  the  propor- 
tion of  these  ingredients  that  are  digestible.  The  California  experiment  station's 
analysis  of  beet  pulp  may  be  compared  as  follows  with  ensilage  of  corn  fodder  and 
green  clover :  f 

AMOUNT  OF  FOOD  DIGESTIBLE  ELEMENTS  IN  100  LBS 

Beet     Clover    Corn 
pulp      silage    silage 
2.0 


TOTAL  ELEMENTS    OF 

ANIMAL    FOOD    IN    100    LBS. 

Beet 

Clover  Corn 

pulp 

silage  silage 

Water,  Ibs, 

90.0 

72.0         70.6 

Ash,  Ibs, 

0.3 

2.6           2.6 

Protein,  Ibs, 

1.5 

4.2           2.7 

Fat  or  oil, 

0.4 

1.2            0.7 

Fiber,  Ibs, 

3.1 

8.4           9.7 

Sugar,  starch,  etc, 

4.7 

11.6          13.7 

Total, 

100.0 

100.0        100.0 

1.3 
0.4 
2.5 
4.2 

$2.02 


1.4 


1.0 
4.4 

9.2 
$3.92 


0.6: 

6.5 

5.6 

$3.22 


Protein,  Ibs,  2c, 
Fat  or  oil,  Ibs,  2c, 
Fiber,  Ibs,  Ic, 
Sugar,  starch,  etc,  Ic, 
Feeding  value  per  ton*, 

*Based  on  2c  per  Ib  for  digestible  protein  and  fat 
and  Ic  for  the  other  nutrients,  on  which  basis  the 
theoretical  feeding  value  of  wheat  grain  figures 
$17.50  per  ton,  corn  meal  $17,  potatoes  $3,beets  74c, 
mangels  $1.52,  turnips  $2.75,  rutabagas  $12  and  car- 
rots $1.82  per  ton. 

The  protein  contains  16  %  of  actual  nitrogen,  and  the  ash  is  rich  in  potash  and  phosphoric  acid,  as 
also  lime  and  magnesia.  These  ingredients  are  got  back  in  the  solid  and  liquid  manure  of  the  stock 
that  consumes  the  pulp,  so  that  it  has  an  important  manurial  value.  Indeed,  in  this  way,  one  can  re- 
turn to  the  soil  much  that  the  crop  took  from  it. 

It  appears  that  beet  pomace  that  is  nine-tenths  water  is  yet  worth  for  stock  feed 
fully  half  as  much  as  corn  silage  only  70  per  cent  water.     If  the   water  was  dried  out 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


109 


of  the  pulp  so  it  contains  only  as  much  as  the  corn  silage,  it  would  be  of  about  equal 
feeding  value,  pound  for  pound.  But  cattle  eat  only  30  to  50  Ibs  daily  per  head  of 
silage,  whereas  they  will  consume  fully  twice  as  many  pounds  of  beet  pulp,  and  thus 
get  much  more  actual  nutriment  out  of  the  pomace  than  they  do  from  silage,  as  both 
are  commonly  fed. 

For  milch  cows  beet  pulp  is  excellent,  though  it  should  not  be  fed  to  excess. 
•Careful  tests  at  the  Iowa  experiment  station  show  that  the  sugar  beet  is  very  palata- 
ble and  contains  no  volatile  acid  injurious  to  butter.  But  whether  milk  is  sold  or 
butter  made,  we  would  not  advise  feeding  beet  pomace  alone  any  more  than  silage 


RECEIVING  BEETS    AT  ALVARADO. 

Showing  outside  of  sheds  and  pile  containing  several  thousand  tons  of  beets.    Observe  the  long  line  of  teams  ready  to 

discharge  their  loads  of  beets. 

alone;  feed  also  hay  or  some  dry  fodder,  with  cottonseed  or  linseed  meal,  pea  meal, 
or  bran.  Always  begin  feeding  the  pulp  to  milch  cows  in  small  quantities,  say  5  or 
10  Ibs  at  a  meal,  gradually  increasing  as  the  cows  get  used  to  it. 

Another  advantage  of  beet  pulp  as  feed  is  that  it  can  be  kept  tor  months  without 
loss  of  quality  by  storing  in  silos.  Says  Prof  Jaffa  of  the  California  experiment  sta- 
tion:  "Sugar-beet  pulp  is  one  of  the  best  adaptable  materials  for  silage  that  the 
feeder  can  procure.  One  of  the  difficulties  encountered  in  siloing  is  the  exclusion  of 
air  from  the  mass  during  the  curing  process.  With  corn,  clover  or  any  of  the  fodders 
used  for  this  purpose,  much  trouble  is  at  times  experienced  in  properly  firming  the 
different  layers  as  they  are  placed  in  the  silo,  in  order  to  leave  no  air  spaces  in  the 


HO  THE   SUGAK  INDUSTRY. 

mass.  The  reason  for  this  is,  that  if  much  air  is  present,  fermentation  will  be  car- 
ried on  to  such  an  extent  as  to  spoil  a  considerable  portion  of  the  food.  In  the  case 
of  beet  pulp,  we  do  not  have  to  contend  with  any  of  the  inconveniences  just  noted. 
The  pulp  as  it  comes  from  the  diffuser  in  the  sugar  factory  is  in  the  best  possible  con- 
dition for  siloing.  It  is  wet,  the  pieces  are  exceedingly  small  and  the  mass  is  quite 
homogeneous.  Hence,  when  placed  in  the  silo  it  packs  itself  and  fills  up  every  avail- 
able space,  without  any  intervention  on  the  part  of  the  fillers— a  behavior  that  is  very 
different  from  that  of  any  other  food.  Tor  this  feedstuff,  then,  a  shallow  rectangular 
or  square  silo  would  answer  the,  purpose  equally  as  well  as  a  deep,  round  one— the 
style  found  to  yield  the  best  results  when  corn  or  clover  is  siloed.  The  deeper  the 
silo  the  greater  the  pressure,  and,  therefore,  the  less  air  remaining  in  the  silo ;  the 
circular  shape  is  adopted  so  as  to  do  away  with  corners.  It  is  thus  obvious  that  the 
expense  attending  the  construction  of  the  silo  for  beet  pulp  would  be  much  less  than 
where  other  fodders  are  used.  In  regard  to  the  covering  of  the  material  while  silo- 
ing, the  beet  pulp  has  the  advantage  over  corn  and  clover  in  tl\at  it  covers  itself, 
forming  a  seal,  which  thoroughly  excludes  the  air.  Another  point  which  must  not 
be  lost  sight  of  is,  that  when  the  beet  pulp  silage  is  fed,  the  portions  can  be  removed 
much  easier  and  with  more  facility  than  is  the  case  where  we  are  dealing  with  corn, 
etc.  \Vherever  beet  pulp  silage  has  been  tried  it  has  met  with  the  best  of  success,  as 
the  animals  greatly  relish  it." 

The  beet  tops  and  waste  beets  comprise  a  considerable  tonnage  where  several 
acres  of  beets  are  raised.  This  material  is  also  excellent  for  all  stocks,  imparting  a 
rare  flavor  and  color  to  beef  or  pork,  beside  making  rapid  gains  in  live  weight.  Feed- 
ers about  Watsonville  are  especially  enthusiastic  over  the  feeding  value  of  this  beet 
top  waste  for  hogs  as  well  as  cattle  and  milch  cows.  Similar  reports  come  from  Utah 
and  Nebraska,  thus  fully  confirming  European  experience.  These  tops  will  not  keep 
so  long  as  the  pulp  will,  and  the  sooner  they  are  consumed  the  better.  The  tops 
(leaves),  with  the  neck  or  upper  part  of  beet  that  is  cut  off,  constitute  about  15  or  20 
per  cent  at  least  of  the  gross  weight  of  the  crop,  so  that  a  yield  of  15  gross  tons  per 
acre  would  give  about  twelve  tons  of  dressed  beets  and  three  tons  of  tops.  Many 
European  feeders  consider  this  fodder  worth  as  much  as  the  best  hay,  pound  for 
pound. 

Mr  Ware  says  in  a  recent  issue  of  The  Sugar  Beet,  speaking  of  Germany:  "A  fac- 
tory working  40,000  tons  of  beets  per  campaign  has  22,000  tons  of  residuum  pulp  which, 
when  dried,  weighs  2750  tons,  the  cost  of  drying  being  S5  per  ton,  or  a  total  of  $13,  - 
750.  The  product  found  a  ready  sale  for  $17,200,  leaving  a  profit  of  $3450.  Owing  to 
the  low  market  price  of  molasses,  this  residuum  was  mixed  with  the  cossettes  during 
their  drying.  One  hundred  pounds  of  fresh  cossettes  can  absorb  6  Ibs  of  molasses, 
the  product  after  drying  weighing  only  15  to  18  Ibs.  The  money  value  of  beet  tops 
and  leaves  has  b^en  determined  by  analyzing  them,  and  allowing  that  carbohydrates 
have  a  recognized  market  value.  According  to  all  calculations  made  they  should  not 
be  sold  for  less  than  $1.60  per  ton  when  considered  collectively." 

The  molasses  residue  from  beet-sugar  factories  has  not  been  much  fed  in  this 
country.  In  Europe,  however,  it  has  been  generally  used  for  this  purpose,  about  one- 
fourth  of  the  product  of  many  German  factories  being  fed.  The  great  difficulty  has 


THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

been  to  find  a  proper  fodder  with  which  to  mix  the  molasses  in  order  to  counteract 
the  purging  effect  which  molasses  alone  (or  in  conjunction  with  some  other  feeding 
stuffs)  exercises  on  cattle  when  fed  with  it,  even  in  small  quantities.  The  latter 
difficulty  has  apparently  been  met  by  mixing  the  molasses  with  a  dust  or  mull  ob- 
tained from  the  moss  turf  that  grows  on  peat.  This  moss  turf  is  obtained  by  being 
torn  up  or  teased  out  by  a  machine  for  making  moss  litter  called  a  "Wolf."  It  is 
taken  from  the  upper  strata  of  high-lying  peat  moors,  and  consists  largely  of  the  dried 
uut  non-decomposed  fiber  of  the  plants  Sphagnum  cuspidatum  and  Eriophorum  lati- 
folium.  The  acids  contained  in  this  moss  turf  seem  to  neutralize  the  salts  in  the  mo- 
Iass3s  and  render  them  harmless,  thus  counteracting  the  severe  purging  caused  by 
molasses  alone.  It  is  not  claimed  that  this  peat  stuff  itself  has  any  direct  feeding 
value,  its  usefulness  being  confined  to  neutralizing  the  laxity  of  the  molasses.  About 
35  Ibs  of  this  stuff  is  used  with  65  Ibs  of  molasses,  though  the  proportions  vary,  and 
there  are  several  patent  processes.  The  stuff  has  to  be  mixed  with  the  molasses  while 
hot.  It  is  being  largely  fed  in  Germany,  where  great  claims  are  made  for  it,  though 
some  feeders  dispute  these  assertions.  It  is  claimed  to  be  much  cheaper  than  the 
best  fat-producing  foods,  keeps  the  animal  in  health,  is  a  good  substitute  for  bran, 
gives  a  glossy  appearance  to  the  skin,  improves  quality  and  quantity  of  milk,  in- 
creases weight  and  improves  flavor  of  meat  and  can  be  stored  an  unlimited  time. 

The  average  American  farmer  will  not  use  any  such  material.  He  can,  however, 
mix  molasses  with  cut  straw  or  hay.  German  experience  indicates  that  %  the  use  of 
molasses  in  this  way  increases  the  amount  of  actual  food  elements  in  the  fodder  that 
are  digested.  The  straw  is  cut  into  snort  chaff  and  the  molasses  poured  over  it, 
which  is  first  thinned  a  little  with  water.  To  every  100  Ibs  of  chaff,  add  20  Ibs  of 
molasses.  Feed  with  15  ibs  of  cottonseed  meal  or  linseed  meal  or  a  larger  quantity  of 
wheat  bran.  After  cows  get  used  to  it  they  will  consume  daily  20  Ibs  per  head  of 
this  straw  chaff  with  a  relish,  besides  uncut  straw  and  other  coarse  stuff.  The  results 
are  most  satisfactory.  This  feed  has  been  found  to  be  most  excellent  for  sheep, 
hogs,  cattle  and  even  horses,  but  with  all  stock  the  feeding  with  molasses  should  be- 
gin with  very  small  doses.  Increase  the  molasses  ration  very  gradually. 

Mr  R.  M.  Allen,  who,  as  manager  of  the  Standard  Feeding  Co,  Nebraska,  speaks 
from  long  experience  in  the  feeding  of  beets,  necks  and  tops,  says:  "1  regard  it  as 
probable  that  the  profit  derived  from  feeding  the  waste  products  of  the  factory  and 
those  parts  of  the  beet  left  in  the  field  will  be  almost  as  great  as  the  profit  from  the 
manufacture  of  sugar.  Cattle  feeding  is  a  branch  of  the  business  that  I  consider  al- 
most as  important  as  sugar  manufacture." 

PESTS  OF  THE  BEET. 

Thus  far  the  most  serious  obstacles  to  the  production  of  large  quantities  of  rich 
beets  in  the  United  States  have  been  unfavorable  climatic  conditions,  too  much  or 
too  little  rain  or  drouth,  early  frosts,  too  little  sunshine  with  unseasonable  weather 
during  the  growing  and  harvesting  period.  What  can  be  done  to  mitigate  these  natu- 
ral conditions  has  been  considered  in  the  previous  pages.  Thus  far  the  crop  has  not 
suffered  materially  from  blights  or  other  fungus  pests.  Beets  are  sometimes  hollow 
in  the  center  and  in  that  case  lack  both  weight  and  quality,  but  this  trouble  mainly 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


113 


occurs  only  in  soil  deficient  in  plant  food.     Improper  germination  can  be   avoided    by 
the  use  of  proper  seed  and  the  methods  of  planting  already  described. 

Insect  pests  have  thus  far  not  proved  extremely  destructive.  The  garden  web- 
wonn  (Eurycreon  rantalis]  has  been  perhaps  the  worst  pest.  The  worm  is  not  quite 
an  inch  long,  pale  or  dark  yellow,  marked  with  distinctly  jet  black  spots.  It  feeds  on 
a  great  many  plants,  and  has  several  natural  enemies.  The  worm  spins  for  itself  a 
delicate  silk  cocoon  in  the  debris  on  the  ground  at  the  top  of  the  beet  and  transforms 
to  the  chrysalis  stage,  in  which  it  remains  from  one  to  two  weeks.  The  young  worms 
devour  only  the  surface  and  substance  of  the  leaf  on  the  side  where  they  are,  leaving 
the  veins  and  opposite  epidermis  untouched,  producing  a  skeleton  leaf.  Where  the 
tops  are  not  intended  to  be 
fed  to  stock,  Mr  Lawrence 
Bruner,  entomologist  Ne- 
braska station  (Bulletin  16) 
recommends  spraying  with 
a  solution  of  one  pound  of 
London  purple  or  Paris 
green  in  200  gallons  of  water, 
applied  with  the  modern 
spraying  apparatus,  by 
which  the  poison  is  dis- 
tributed in  a  very  fine  mist. 
The  pale  flea  beetle 
(Systena  blanda),  varying 
from  black  to  nearly  yel- 
lowish white,  gnaws  the 
leaves  full  of  holes  upon 
either  side,  causing  a  blis- 
ter-like appearance,  like 
leaf  spot  or  leaf  blight. 
Spraying  with  kerosene 


NEBRASKA   SILO   FOR   BEETS. 

Cross  section.  The  pile  of  beets  is  about  4  feet  wide  and  3  feet  high 
covered  with  six  inches  of  soil.  Before  severe  weather  sets  in,  cover  with 
six  inches  of  straw,  and  then  two  inches  of  soil.  V— Ventilating  holes,  one 
foot  in  diameter,  every  5  feet.  See  Pages  105-107. 


emulsion  drove  it  away  and  the  arsenical  spray  effectually  removed  it.  Other  flea 
beetles  and  blister  beetles  are  sometimes  destructive  and  if  necessary  can  be  destroyed 
as  just  described.  A  variety  of  bugs  and  a  few  leaf  hoppers  are  sometimes  destructive, 
the  most  practical  remedy  for  them  being  to  destroy  their  natural  food  plant. 

The  various  cutworms  sometimes  do  much  damage  by  eating  off  the  small  beet 
plants  in  May  and  June,  in  Nebraska.  All  of  these  cutworms  have  parasites  that  usu- 
ally keep  them  from  breeding  very  rapidly,  except  when  some  unusually  favorable 
conditions  of  soil  or  climate  occur.  The  very  best  remedy  that  has  thus  far  been  sug- 
gested and  tried  against  cutworms  is  the  use  of  poisoned  grasses,  cabbage  leaves,  or 
clover.  This  is  done  by  taking  these  substances  and  tying  them  into  loose  bunches 
and  then  sprinkling  them  with  a  solution  of  Paris  green  or  London  purple,  say  a  ta- 
blespoonful  to  a  bucket  of  water.  Then  in  the  evening  scatter  these  poisoned  baits 
over  the  field  between  the  rows  of  beets,  cabbage,  etc.  The  worms  will  be  attracted 


114  THE   SUGAR    INDUSTRY. 

to  them,  eat  and  die.     These  baits  should  be  renewed  several   times   at    intervals    of 
two  to  four  days,  according  to  the  state  of  the  weather  and  the  abundance  of  the  worms. 

BEET   SEED   PRODUCTION   IN   THE   UNITED   STATES. 

At  least  twenty  pounds  of  seed  per  acre  are  required  for  planting  sugar  beets. 
At  12  to  20  cents  per  Ib,  this  represents  an  investment  of  $2  to  S4  per  acre  for  seed 
alone.  When  from  3000  to  20,000  acres  of  land  are  planted  to  beets  for  each  factory, 
according  to  its  size,  it  will  be  seen  that  this  beet-seed  question  is  a  most  important 
one.  Up  to  the  present  time  the  bulk  of  the  beet  seed  used  in  America  has  been  im- 
ported from  Germany  and  France. 

Experiments  at  the  department  of  agriculture's  sugar  beet  station  at  Schuyler, 
Neb,  with  later  work  by  H.  H.  ^Nicholson  at  the  Nebraska  state  experiment  station, 
and  the  experience  of  our  western  beet  growers,  warrant  the  conclusion  that  Ameri- 
ca can  produce  its  own  beet  seed.  The  Utah  Sugar  Co  has  57  tons  of  mother  beets 
laid  by  for  planting  for  seed  purposes  early  this  spring,  a  sample  of  this  lot  being 
illustrated  on  Page  32.  They  are  packed  in  dry  sand  and  kept  at  a  low  temperature 
to  prevent  sprouting.  These  people  are  now  raising  quite  a  large  amount  of  their 
own  seed,  have  met  with  great  success,  and  expect  by  1898  to  cease  importing  beet 
seed  into  Utah.  Of  course  it  is  very  necessary  for  those  who  are  experimenting  in 
raising  beet  seed  to  try  small  quantities  of  every  variety  that  comes  to  their  notice. 
Nicholson  truly  says  that  "We  cannot  build  up  a  great  sugar  industry,  stable  and  in- 
dependent, until  we  have  all  its  absolute  requirements  in  and  on  our  own  home  soil. 
We  must  be  free  from  all  possible  danger  of  having  our  seed  supply  tampered  with, 
and  we  must  develop  varieties  of  beets  adapted  to  our  soil  and  climatic  conditions." 
Prof  Nicholson  considered  this  matter  quite  fully  in  his  address  to  the  Nebraska 
beet  sugar  association,  November,  '97,  from  which  we  quote  the  following : 

The  serious  difficulty  and  the  great  danger— danger  to  the  industry  as  a  whole— 
in  attempting  to  grow  and  use  our  own  seed,  lies  in  the  lack  of  proper,  I  may  be  par- 
doned for  saying  the  lack  of  scientific,  selection  of  parent  beets.  In  this  question,  of 
the  selection  of  mothers,  is  the  key  to  the  whole  situation.  It  is  a  purely  scientific 
question — a  question  that  has  been  reduced  to  an  exact  science  by  the  great  breeders 
and  seed  growers  of  France  and  Germany.  If  we  would  not  meet  disaster,  we  should 
sit  at  their  feet  and  patiently  learn  the  details  of  procedure. 

If,  for  example,  we  select  this  year  our  best  beets — those  that  will  average  Ifi  per 
cent  in  sugar — for  seed,  we  will  undoubtedly  obtain  very  satisfactory  results  when 
this  seed  is  planted.  By  continuing  this  process  year  after  year  we  will  soon  have 
difficulty  in  finding  16  per  cent  beets— the  average  sugar  content  and  purity  will  be- 
gin to  drop,  in  accordance  with  a  natural  law  that  all  animal  and  plant  life,  especially 
those  cases  where  special  features  have  been  artificially  developed,  tend  to  return  to 
lower  forms. 

To  keep  our  beets  up  to  a  high  grade,  then,  we  must  keep  introducing  props  and 
supports  in  the  way  of  careful  selection  in  regard  to  specific  points.  This  introduces 
into  seed  growing  the  elements  of  science  and  of  expense  and  lifts  the  business  into  the 
position  of  a  specialty,  to  be  followed  only  by  those  content  to  make  it  a  lifework. 

It  is  a  question,  perhaps,  whether  there  is  yet  a  sufficient  demand  for  seed  in  this 
country  to  justify  the  specialist  or  the  capitalist,  or  both,  to  enter  upon  the  profession 


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116  THE    SUGAR    INDUSTRY. 

of  breeding  beets  for  seed,  as  that  is  what  it  amounts  to.  Naturally,  the  business  of 
producing  the  seed  begins  under  and  is  fostered  by  the.  factory  management.  It  is 
greatly  to  the  credit  of  the  American  manufacturers  that  they  have  thus  early  taken 
the  initial  steps.  But,  as  has  been  indicated,  the  attendant  expense,  the  necessity 
for  special  knowledge,  and  rhe  extreme  care  necessary  at  every  step,  soon  throws  the 
business  into  the  hands  of  specialists. 

As  has  been  intimated,  the  problem  presents  two  important  phases,  first  to  pro- 
duce seed  of  a  very  high  grade,  and,  second,  to  maintain  this  grade  against  a  constant 
tendency  to  retrogression.  The  solution  of  these  questions  has  demanded  not  only 
the  practical  experience  and  skill  of  seed  men,  but  all  the  resources  of  scientific  in- 
vestigation. For  these  reasons  there  has  grown  up  in  the  sugar-beet-producing  re- 
gions of  Europe  a  class  of  professional  beet-seed  growers.  Some  of  these,  as  Dippe 
Brothers,  Knauer  and  Schreiber,  in  Germany ;  and  Vilmorin,  Desprez,  and  Legras,  in 
France,  have  made  reputations  world-wide  and  have  amassed  fortunes  in  the  busi- 
ness. Their  methods  are  based  on  strictly  scientific  principles.  Details  of  procedure 
vary  according  as  this  or  that  feature  is  made  more  prominent.  In  no  case  do 
these,  or  other  reputable  growers,  allow  seed  to  go  on  the  market  until  it  has  reached 
a  certain  standard  of  excellence  through  several  years  of  upbreeding. 

As  an  example  of  the  extreme  care  necessary  to  maintain  seed  at  a  high  grade,  I 
will  briefly  outline  the  ordinary  practice  of  the  Dippe  Brothers,  on  their  extensive 
beet  farms  at  Quedlinburg,  Prussia.  Assuming,  for  the  start,  seed  01  the  highest  at- 
tainable quality.  This  is  planted  in  the  spring  in  the  usual  manner  and  the  crop 
cared  for  in  all  respects  as  a  good  beet  farmer  would  handle  a  crop  for  the  factory. 
In  the  fall,  at  the  time  of  harvest,  the  beets  are  carefully  examined  as  to  their  phys- 
ical characteristics  of  form,  color,  size,  shape,  condition  of  leaves,  and  method  of 
growth.  Those  coming  up  to  a  standard  previously  fixed  upon  are  reserved  for  seed, 
while  all  others  go  to  the  factory.  This  selection  usually  reserves  from  one-sixth  to 
one-eighth  of  the  crop  as  mother  beets  for  the  next  season.  In  the  early  spring  of 
the  second  year,  these  mother  beets  are  taken  from  the  silo  and  subjected  to  a  chemi- 
cal analysis,  for  the  purpose  of  securing,  for  planting,  only  those  of  high  sugar  con- 
tent and  purity. 

The  analytical  process,  in  brief,  consists  in  taking  a  small  sample  from  each  indi- 
vidual beet  in  such  a  manner  as  to  fairly  represent  the  whole  beet — this  does  not  in 
any  way  injure  the  root  for  planting.  The  juice  is  then  expressed  from  the  sample 
and  polarized.  In  this  way,  all  of  the  beets  reserved  the  previous  fall  are  divided 
into  three  classes,  viz :  First,  those  that  fall  below  a  certain  minimum  per  cent  of 
sugar,  say  16  per  cent,  these  go  to  the  feed,  stable ;  second,  those  that  in  sugar  con- 
tent run  ret  »veen  16  per  cent  and  18  per  cent  will  be  planted  as  seed-producing  or 
mother  beets;  third,  those  that  run  above  18  per  cent  in  sugar  will  be  planted  for 
seed  to  keep  up  the  stock. 

For  convenience,  we  will  call  these  Classes  I,  II  and  III,  and  confine  our  atten- 
tion to  Class  II.  When  this  chemical  selection  has  finally  been  made,  the  beets  in 
Class  II  are  planted.  In  the  autumn  the  seed  stalks  are  cut,  the  seed  thrashed  out, 
cleaned,  and  put  away  for  the  winter.  In  the  following  spring— the  third  from  the 
start— this  seed  is  planted,  but  in  a  manner  a  little  different  from  the  ordinary,  inas- 


THE    BEET   SUGAR    INDUSTRY. 


117 


much  as  the  rows  are  closer  together  and  the  beets  are  thinned  to  a  distance  of  from 
three  to  four  inches,  the  object  being  to  produce  a  very  small  and  rich  beet.  The 
usual  summer  care  is  given,  and  in  the  autumn  these  very  small  beets  are  harvested ; 
another  selection  on  the  basis  of  their  physical  characteristics  is  made,  and  those  re- 
tained are  carefully  stored  for  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of  the  fourth  year  these 
small  and  very  rich  beets  are  planted  for  seed  production.  According  to  this  method, 
seed  to  be  offered  for  sale  comes  on  the  market  in  time  to  be  planted  during  the  fifth 
year  after  the  first  steps  in  its  production  were  taken.  This  plan,  or  one  similar,  is 
adopted  by  all  successful  seed-growing  specialists  in  the  old  country.  Of  course,  aft- 
er the  first  lot  is  ready  for  market,  each  succeeding  season  furnishes  a  crop.  The 
only  long  delay  comes  in 
starting. 

The  questions  of  ex- 
penses and  profits  can  hard- 
ly be  touch  ad  upon  in  this 
paper.  During  the  four 
apparently  unproductive 
y.ears,  while  he  is  maturing 
his  first  crop  of  seed,  the 
seed  grower  is  marketing  at 
the  factory  six-sevenths  of 
his  beet  crop.  With  the 
harvest  of  the  first  crop  of 
seed,  and  thereafter,  he  will 
have  to  sell  both  a  crop  of 
beets  and  a  seed  crop. 

Attempts  to  reduce  such 

0   f  v     ,  f  See  Page  115  for  general  view  of  these  silos.     Tlie  pile  of  beets  is  about 

propositions   tO     a     DaolS     OI         6  feet  wide  aml  2i^  to  3  feet  highf  covered  with  18  inches  of  soil,  with  a    (V) 
,,  ,  ,  j  ventilating  tile  every  6  feet  that  can  be  closed  after  the  beets  have  sweated. 

figures  are    always  hazard- 
ous.      The  main  feature?,  in  this  case,  are  clear  enough  that  I  will  venture  on  some 
approximations    as    to    the  amount  of  land  required  and  the  current    operations   and 
expenses  during  the  four  years  that  the  first  crop  is  being  prepared  for  market. 

Assuming  that  80  tons  of  seed  are  needed  to  supply  the  present  demand  in  this 
state,  and  that  we  are  to  attempt  to  supply  this  with  a  well-bred  native  seed,  I  will 
follow,  in  the  main,  the  plan  of  the  German  seed  growers.  .We  will  start  the  first 
year  with  ten  acres  planted  with  the  best  seed  attainable.  Assuming  an  average 
yield  of  ten  tons  per  acre,  we  will  harvest  100  tons  of  beets.  Making  our  selection  for 
mother  beets  will  remove  from  sale  about  one-seventh,  or  some  fourteen  tons.  We 
will  have  for  market,  then,  86  tons  of  beets. 

The  second  year  will  see  the  first  year's  operations  repeated  in  every  detail.  In 
addition,  we  have  to  make  the  chemical  selection  of  mother  beets  for  planting,  from 
the  14  tons  reserved  the  previous  autumn,  and  the  planting  and  caring  for,  say,  one 
acre  of  seed  beets.  Assuming  now  28,000  beets  to  be  analyzed  and  selected;  two 
chemists,  with  proper  appliances  and  assistants,  can  make  4000  tests  per  day.  or  this 
selecting  can  be  made  in  seven  days  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed  $500,  including  everything 


CROSS   SECTION    WISCONSIN   SILO. 


118  ,  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

thing  except  the  laboratory  and  its  permanent  equipment.  In  this  selection  \ve  will 
retain  one-seventh  of  the  beets,  giving  us  4000  roots,  enough  to  plant  one  acre— the 
remaining  six-sevenths  go  for  cattle  food.  We  have  in  operation,  then,  land  as  fol- 
lows :  Ten  acres  sown  with  seed  and  one  acre  planted  with  mothers. 

In  the  fall  the  beet  crop  is  harvested,  selections  made  as  before  for  mother  beets, 
and  the  remainder  sent  to  the  factory.  Seed  is  harvested,  cleaned,  selected,  and 
stored  for  the  next  year's  use.  The  books  for  this  season  would  show  a  small  excess 
of  expenditure  over  income. 

The  third  year,  all  operations  of  the  second  year  are  repeated  in  detail.  In  addi- 
tion ten  acres  of  choice  land  will  be  sown  with  seed  selected  from  the  previous  j ear's 
crop,  with  the  object  of  producing  small  and  very  rich  beets.  In  the  fall  we  will  har- 
vest a  crop  of  beets  for  the  factory  and  to  furnish  mothers  for  the  next  year;  a  crop 
of  seed  for  further  selection,  and  a  crop  of  small  beets  of  this  year's  growing.  Land 
in  use  this  year:  ten  acres  sown  with  original  seed;  ten  acres  sown  with  our  own  seed 
of  the  previous  year;  one  acre  planted  with  mother  beets.  The  books  of  this  year 
will  also  show  an  excess  of  expenditures  over  income. 

Fourth  year;  all  of  the  work  of  the  third  year  is  repeated.  In  addition  to  this, 
we  plant  100  acres  with  choics  roots  from  the  small  arid  very  rich  beets  grown  the 
previous  year.  This  fail  we  will  harvest  beets  for  the  factory  and  for  mothers;  seed 
for  further  selection;  small,  rich  beets  for  final  seed  production,  and  from  80  to  100 
tons  of  seed  ready  for  the  market.  Assuming  80  tons  of  seed,  and  a  price  of  15  cents 
per  pound,  the  seed  product  of  the  fourth  year  would  be  worth  $24,000. 

If  care  has  been  observed  at  every  step  in  breeding,  this  seed  ought  to  be  worth, 
by  reason  of  the  higher  return  it  will  yield  both  to  the  grower  and  manufacturer,  at 
least  five  cents  per  pound  more  than  foreign-grown  seed.  Each  succeeding  year  now 
of  operation,  on  the  basis  and  on  the  scale  of  these  preliminary  years,  will  yield  for 
market  from  80  to  100  tons  of  seed,  worth  from  $24, 000  to  $40, 000. 

To  actually  produce  the  seed  requires,  then,  the  use  of  not  more  than  150  acres  of 
land  at  one  time.  A  proper  rotation  of  crops  would  demand,  for  seed  growing  on  the 
scale  thus  briefly  and  imperfectly  outlined,  not  less  than  040  acres. 

Of  course,  there  will  be  many  difficulties  to  be  met  and  overcome.  In  this  state, 
one  of  these  will  be  the  prevalence  of  winds  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  this  trouble  may  be  met  by  planting  rows  of  corn  at  intervals  among  our 
seed  beets,  to  act  as  wind  breaks.  Certain  it  is  that  we  shall  find  some  way  to  meet 
that  and  similar  difficulties. 

European  beet  growers  and  manufacturers  have  established  careful  rules  to  secure 
the  best  quality  of  seed.  They  require  that  the  seed  must  be  from  the  last  crop.  It 
must  be  of  such  quality  that  100  large  seeds  must  furnish  150  sprouts,  and  100  small 
seeds  at  least  130  sprouts,  these  should  show  within  14  days  from  the  beginning  of  the 
test.  Not  more  than  20  per  cent  of  lifeless  seed  will  be  admitted.  Moisture  in  the 
seed  should  never  be  more  than  16  per  cent  of  the  total  weight,  because  more  of  it 
causes  mold,  which  injures  germinating  power.  There  must  be  about  45  seeds  per 
gram,  or  about  22,500  per  pound  for  large  seed. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
COMMERCIAL  ASPECTS  OF  THE  BEET  SUGAR  INDUSTRY. 

COST  AND  PROFITS   OF  BEET   CULTURE. 

Experience  affords  widely  varying  data  as  to  the  expense  of  producing  beets  and 
the  profits  of  the  crop.  In  unfavorable  seasons,  or  when  growers  have  not  learned 
how  to  raise  the  crop  most  economically,  expenses  may  be  comparatively  high  and 
the  yield  inferior  in  quality  and  quantity,  thus  making  the  cost  per  ton  very  high. 
Mr  Leavitt,  an  extensive  Nebraska  beet  grower,  informs  us  that  his  first  crop  cost 
him  $44  per  acre  to  "lay  by"  until  ready  to  harvest,  to  which  had  to  be  added  ex- 
penses of  digging  and  delivering  to  factory,  so  that  even  at  $5  per  ton  they  yielded 
but  little  if  any  profit  on  the  crop  ordinarily  obtained.  But  his  sixth  successive  crop 
(1896)  cost  only  $11  per  acre  to  lay  by,  and  at  $4  per  ton  the  crop  yielded  a  substan- 
tial profit.  This  is  probably  a  greater  saving  than  will  occur  with  the  average  beet 
grower,  but  it  illustrates  in  a  striking  way  the  possibilities  of  economy  in  beet  pro- 
duction. The  value  of  land,  expressed  either  in  rent  or  interest  and  taxes,  and  the 
amount  and  cost  of  fertilizers  employed,  are  also  varying  factors,  as  well  as  yield. 

We  caution  farmers  and  capitalists  against  basing  estimates  upon  extraordinary 
yields  per  acre,  either  in  quantity  or  quality.  While  it  may  be  that  the  crop  may  oc- 
casionally go  as  high  as  20  or  25  tons  per  acre,  and  return  an  apparent  profit  of  $40  to 
$60  per  acre,  that  is  no  more  a  fair  criterion  to  go  by  than  to  judge  of  the  possibilities 
of  corn  culture  on  the  basis  of  a  yield  of  135  bushels  of  crib-cured  shelled  corn  pel- 
acre  (which  was  grown  in  the  American  Agriculturist's  contest  in  Marlboro  county. 
South  Carolina,  in  1889),  when  a  fair  average  yield  of  corn  is  25  bushels  per  acre. 
Here  is  the  place  for  farmers  to  start  right,  and  not  to  deceive  themselves  with  fancy 
figures,  Far  better  for  all  concerned  to  go  into  this  industrj  on  so  conservative  a 
basis  that  their  estimates  are  excelled  in  actual  results,  than  to  start  with  exagger- 
ated ideas,  failing  to  realize  which  causes  discouragement  and  disaster. 

On  this  point  Mr  Weitzer,  field  manager  for  the  Norfolk  factory  reports:  "Our  six 
years'  experience  in  Nebraska  has  shown  us  that  seven  tons  of  beets  per  acre  pay  for 
all  the  team  work  (at  50  cents  per  hour),  all  the  hand  labor  (at  7£  to  15  cents  per 
hour)  performed  on  the  field,  also  for  seed,  rent  of  land  and  machinery  and  freight; 
all  of  the  yield  above  this  tonnage  being  clear  profit.  Ten  tons  may  be  regarded  as 
an  average  crop  per  acre,  although  much  higher  yiplds  are  made.  A  good  farmer,  who 
takes  the  right  care  of  the  crop  and  selects  proper  land,  should,  in  an  average  season, 
raise  not  less  than  twelve  tons  per  acre.  Our  old  beet  growers  even  claim  to  be  able 
to  raise,  in  a  good  season,  by  using  richly  manured  bottom  land,  25  to  30  tons  per 
acre,  which  yield  has  already  been  obtained  by  several  parties." 

Valuable  information  upon  this  point  is  furnished  by  a  tabulated  statement  of  the 
experiences  in  1896  of  49  growers  of  1442  acres  of  beets  for  the  Norfolk  and  Grand 


120  THE    SUGAR    INDUSTRY. 

Island  factories,  as  collected  by  the  Nebraska  beet  sugar  association,  and  published  in 
its  Hastings  proceedings  for  1896.  The  area  harvested  by  each  grower  was  from  3  to 
80  acres,  averaging  about  18  acres  to  each  farmer,  exclusive  of  one  who  raised  455  acres 
and  another  with  174  acres.  At  the  time  of  the  Hastings  convention,  Nov  17,  about 
half  these  beets  had  been  delivered  to  the  factory,  the  balance  being  ensiled  for  de- 
livery later.  The  reported  yield  was  17, 924  tons  from  the  1442  acres,  or  an  average  of 
12t  tons  per  acre,  ranging  from  8  to  20  tons  per  acre— the  larger  yields  upon  the  smaller 
tracts.  The  proceeds  for  beets  sold  were  estimated  at  $90,016,  or  $62. 40  per  acre.  This 
was  based  on  $5  per  ton  for  beets,  of  which  $4  was  paid  by  the  factory  and  $1  was 
claimed  under  the  state  bounty  offer.  If  the  latter  is  not  paid,  the  gross  proceeds 
are  about  $12.50  per  acre  less,  averaging  just  about  an  even  $50  per  acre.  The  ex- 
penses reported  average  $36.88  per  acre,  leaving  average  net  profits  of  $13  per  acre, 
as  follows : 

Per  acre  For  1442  aeivs 

Cost  of  seed,  -     $3.00  $4,363 

Rent  of  land,     -  3.96  5,708 

Value  of  all  labor,  -      25.56  36,976 

Other  expenses,  -  •         -             4.36  6,302 

Total  expenses,  -    $36.88  $53,349 

Profits,  -        $13.12  $18,751 

Total  receipts  at  $4  per  ton,  -   $50.00  $72,100 

This  shows  an  average  cost  of  just  about  $3  per  ton  of  beets  delivered  to  the  fac- 
tory, including  wagon  haul  and  railroad  freight,  on  a  crop  of  12i  tons  per  acre,  over 
nearly  1500  acres  in  various  sections  of  Nebraska,  and  representing  all  sorts  of  culture 
and  soil.  Closer  analysis  of  the  returns  shows  that  the  larger  yields  of  the  more 
careful  cultivators  were  produced  at  a  cost  of  $2  to  $2.50,  and  in  one  or  two  instances 
even  less.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  these  figures  are  based  on  estimates  at  close  of 
season,  riot  upon  actual  accounts,  though  our  inquiries  indicate  that  the  items  of  cost 
are  above  the  actual,  if  anything. 

It  is  to  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  foregoing  figures  are  for  an  exception- 
ally favorable  season.  They  are  based  upon  the  experiences  of  the  better  growers 
also — intelligent  men,  experts,  of  several  years'  experience;  the  other  kind,  who  most 
need  its  help,  don't  attend  the  beet  growers'  meetings.  Even  the  best  men  could  not 
make  so  good  a  showing  for  the  unfavorable  year  of  1895.  Yet  here  are  the  figures 
for  the  '95  crop  upon  40  acres  grown  by  Pettihger  Brothers  at  Albion,  Boone  county, 
Neb: 


EXPENSES. 

Seed  for  40  acres,  $107.00 

Hand  work  at  $12  per  acre,  480.00 

Extra  labor,  150.00 

Topping  beets  at  $3  per  acre,  120.00 

Freight  at  80c  per  ton,  538.40 

Total,  $1399.40 


PROCEEDS. 
577%  tons  dressed  beets  over 

12%  sugar  80  pxtrity  at   $5 

per  ton  of  2000  Ibs,  $2888.33 

46y3  tons  inferior  at  $2.50,  115.83 

Received  for  siloing  258  tons  at  30c,         77.34 

Total,  $3081.50 


Deducting  the  expenses  reported  ($1399.40)  from  the  gross  proceeds  ($3081.50),  there  is  left  $1682.10 
as  the  net  return  for  the  team  work,  use  of  land,  pay  for  superintendence  and  profit.  This  is  $42  per 
acre  for  these  items  on  a  crop  that  dressed  nearly  15  tons  per  acre,  when  sold  at  $5.  This  price  includes 
the  $1  state  bounty.  Deducting  that,  or  $15  per  aqre,  leaves  $27.  A  detailed  statement  of  Pettinger 
Brothers'  experience  is  printed  on  Pages  126-127. 

Mr  E.  M.  Allen,  president  of  the  Nebraska  beet  sugar  growers'  association  and 
of  the  American  sugar  growers'  society,  says  that  the  result  of  his  six  years'  experi- 
ence is  that  "The  cost  of  growing  beets  to  farmers  in  Nebraska  is  from  a  minimum  of 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


F  CROP. 

EXPENSES  PER  ACRE. 

1893 

1894 

1893 

1894 

Cleaning  off  corn  stalks, 

$3.50 

a$2.00 

21 

23 

Plowing, 

2.20 

2.01 

500 

569 

Harrowing, 

1.30 

.50 

9   tons 

6.6  tons 

Rolling, 

.50 

.31 

30      " 

19.5    " 

Seeding, 

.40 

.30 

First  hoeing, 

4.00 

1.44 

'  -2 

Thinning, 

13.00 

5.84 

15      " 

10     "      " 

Two  times  hoeing  after  thinning, 

12.00 

612.97 

8709 

6165 

Cultivating, 

2.15 

1.82 

7514 

5803 

Seed, 

2.25 

2.00 

13.43  % 

5.8% 

Cost  of  laying  by, 
Harvesting, 

41.30 
6.00 

30.16 
C6.00 

436 

346 

Hauling  and  loading, 

6.75 

2.13 

11.94  % 

14.95% 

Total  cost  of  crop  per  acre, 

$54.05 

$38.29 

15.50  % 

18% 

Cost  of  beets  per  net  ton, 

$3.60 

$382 

_„  „ 

"0  of 

a  Manuring,     b  Second  hoeing  $5.25.  3d 

$4.81,  41  h 

'  '  /o 

'•     /O 

$2.91   per   acre,    c  Plowing  out  c 

ost   $2 

per  acre, 

86% 

86% 

pulling  and  topping  $4. 

$2  per  ton  delivered  at  the  factory,  up  to  a  figure  where  it  becomes  unprofitable  to 
raise  them  even  at  $5  per  ton.  The  average  cost  to  farmers  probably  ranges  from 
$2.50  to  $3.50,  with  an  average  yield  of  from  10  to  12  tons.  These  figures  do  not 
include  rent,  fertilizers,  or  profit.  The  first  two  large  areas  of  beets  raised  under 
my  own  charge  cost  $3.60  and  $3.80  per  ton,  respectively  (actual  book  accounts),  the 
first  being  a  year  of  very  high  cost  and  the  second  a  drouth  year  of  decreased  yield." 
Mr  Allen  submits  detailed  statements  of  these  (1893-4)  crops  as  printed  below,  but 
we  understand  his  1896  crop  was  grown  at  very  much  less  expense. 


Number  of  fields  grown, 

Number  of  acres  grown, 

Lowest  yield  per  acre, 

Highest    "        "      " 

Average    "        "      " 

Net  delivered  at  factory, 

Gross  tonnage, 

Net  tonnage  shipped, 

Shrinkage, 

Total  cars  shipped, 

Average  sugar  content, 

Highest       "  " 

Average  purity, 

Highest        " 

Iii  Utah,  the  average  cost  of  cultivating,  harvesting  and  delivering  a  crop  of  12 
tons  of  beets  per  acre  to  the  factory,  not  to  exceed  four  miles  distant,  is  from  $28  to 
$35,  and  at  $4  per  ton  this  leaves  a  net  income  of  $13  to  $20  per  acre,  besides  the  $28 
or  $35  worth  of  labor  furnished  by  the  farmer  and  his  fami]y  and  teams,  for  which  he 
gets  paid  in  cash.  Going  into  more  detail,  the  Utah  Sugar  company  says  that,  if 
everything  is  hired  or  if  the  labor  is  charged  for  at  the  price  it  would  cost  to  hire  it, 
the  expense  of  cultivating  beets  in  Utah  would  be  about  as  follows:  "Preparing  soil 
foi  seed,  $3.50  per  acre;  that  is,  plowing,  harrowing,  leveling,  rolling  and  the  neces- 
sary work  to  make  a  proper  seed  bed.  Twenty  pounds  of  seed  per  acre  will  cost  $3, 
and  planting  with  the  seed  drill  50c  per  acre.  Thinning  costs  about  $5  per  acre,  but 
this  item  will  be  less  after  a  few  years'  experience.  The  second  hoeing  is  as  neces- 
sary as  the  thinning,  and  costs  $2  per  acre.  We  irrigate  two  to  five  times,  as  the  case 
maybe,  averaging  three  times;  at  40c  per  acre  for  each  irrigation,  this  would  cost 
$1.20,  though  it  may  cost  more  the  first  season.  We  cultivate  six  times,  three  before 
irrigation  and  three  after,  at  a  total  cost  of  $14.40.  Plowing  out  the  beets  in  the  fall 
will  cost  $1  per  acre.  We  pay  50c  per  ton  for  pulling  and  topping  the  beets,  which, 
for  an  average  yield  of  12  tons,  is  $6  per  acre.  This  makes  a  total  expense  of  $30.60, 
exclusive  of  use  of  land  and  manures,  paying  highest  market  prices  for  all  labor." 

One  of  the  most  extraordinary  financial  statements  ever  made  by  an  American 
beet  grower  is  that  submitted  by  James  Bardin,  of  Monterey  Co,  Gal.  IH  1892  he 
shipped  0082  tons  of  beets  to  the  Watsonville  factory  from  225  acres  of  land,  making 
the  phenomenal  average  of  27  tons  of  dressed  beets  per  acre.  The  cost  of  seed  and 
planting  averaged  $5.12  per  acre,  harvesting  $7.45  per  acre,  cultivating  and  weeding 


122  THE   SUGAR   INDUbTBY. 

was  done  by  contract  by  Chinese  at  $1.65  per  ton,  while  the  freight  was  75c  per  ton. 
This  made  a  total  cost  per  ton  of  $2.83,  and  as  the  beets  were  sold  at  $5  per  ton  at  the 
factory,  it  left  $2.17  per  ton  for  the  use  of  land  and  net  profit.  Adding  net  gains 
from  stock  fed  on  beet  tops,  Mr  Bard  in  shows  an  average"  return  of  $59.33  per  acre 
for  his  own  time  and  use  of  land,  or  a  total  profit  of^$13,352.  Mr  Rardin  says  there  is 
just  as  much  money  now  in  raising  beets  at  $4  per  ton  as  there  was  then  at  $5, 
because  freight  has  been  reduced  25c  per  ton,  contracts  for  taking  care  of  crop,  hoe- 
ing, thinning,  topping  and  loading  into  wagons  have  been  reduced  65c  per  ton,  and 
the  crop  can  be  handled  lOc  per  ton  cheaper  now  on  account  of  improved  machinery, 
making  a  total  of  $1  reduction  to  offset  the  decline  of  $1  in  the  price. 

Mr  Bardin  writes  us  that  in  1893  and  1895,  he  was  not  directly  interested  in 
growing  sugar  beets.  In  1894,  he  planted  450  acres  to  this  crop,  but  the  land  was  not 
in  good  condition  and  the  yield  averaged  only  13£  tons  per  acre  dressed  weight.  Part 
of  the  tract  was  new  land  that  had  not  been  cleaned  but  one  year,  and  some  had  been 
planted  to  crops  which  the  beet  does  not  follow  well.  In  1896,  he  planted  260  acres, 
which  were  all  harvested  before  Oct  1  and  averaged  between  16  and  17  tons  per  acre 
for  the  whole  tract.  One  of  these  fields  of  80  acres,  planted  the  first  week  in  March, 
yielded  25  tons  of  dressed  beets  per  acre.  Another  field  of  100  acres  was  not  all 
planted  until  the  latter  part  of  April,  and  owing  to  the  extremely  dry  season  made 
not  more  than  8  or  9  tons  per  acre.  If  the  season  had  been  favorable,  he  believes  the 
whole  tract  would  have  averaged  25  tons  and  is  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  crop  as  a 
profit  earner,  when  sold  at  $4  per  ton. 

Mr  Bardin's  items  for  planting  the  225  acres  first  mentioned  were:  Labor  $450, 
seed  $180,  u«e  of  beet  drill  $22.50,  barley  fed  to  teams  when  planting  $10.50,  hay  fed 
(at  $8  per  ton)  $200,  wear  and  tear  of  tools  $150,  total  $1,152.50  for  planting.  The 
detailed  account  for  harvesting  shows  that  the  expense  was  $1677.  Caring  for  the 
crop  was  contracted  for  by  Chinese  at  $1.60  per  ton,  or  a  total  of  $10,166;  freight  at 
75c  per  ton  cost  $4561,  making  the  grand  total  for  all  expenses  $17,556.  The  receipts 
being  $30,908,  left  the  net  profit  above  stated  of  $13,352.  This  is  an  extraordinary 
result  of  an  extraordinarily  favorable  season,  which  even  Mr  Bardin  himself  has  not 
since  been  able  to  duplicate.  Moreover  his  land  is  in  beets  only  one  season  in  three 
years,  and  his  last  crop  averaged  only  about  one-third  as  large  a  crop  as  the  phenom- 
enal results  in  '92.  Even  under  the  most  favorable  Californian  conditions,  therefore, 
it  is  safe  to  discount  this  result  fully  one-half  and  we  doubt  very  much  if  the  major- 
ity of  California  beet  growers  average  $30  per  acre  per  year,  for  use  of  land,  for  their 
ability  in  running  the  business  and  for  net  profits  over  and  above  all  other  expenses 
of  every  kind  and  nature. 

ACTUAL  EXPERIENCE  OF  FARMERS   IN    RAISING  BEETS  ON  A  LARGE  AND  SMALL  SCALE. 

Petti nger  Brothers  of  Albion,  Boone  Co,  Nebraska,  writing  in  September,  1896, 
said  :  "Nebraska  farmers  are  only  just  beginning  to  know  a  small  part  of  what  there 
is  to  learn  about  farming,  and  especially  sugar  beet  raising.  In  Boone  county,  the 
first  sugar-beet  crop  was  planted  in  1884.  Our  first  crop  contracted  for  consisted  of 
ten  acres.  The  soil  was  prepared  and  the  crop  planted  the  best  we  could  with  such 
instructions  as  were  given  by  the  factory,  but  the  soil  was  a  little  sandy,  and  during 


THE   BEET   SUGAB   INDUSTRY.  123 

June  about  half  the  crop  was  cut  off  by  drifting  sand,  or  buried  out  of  sight;  what 
was  saved  yielded  about  six  tons  to  the  acre.  While  this  was  a  very  light  crop,  we 
felt  encouraged  to  try  again.  At  first  we  did  our  own  hoeing  and  thinning,  but  have 
since  had  German-Russians  to  do  this  work  ;  they  are  by  far  the  best  and  cheapest 
labor.  The  following  spring,  we  contracted  to  put  in  40  acres.  The  soil  is  a  slightly 
sandy  bottom  land,  just  sandy  enough  to  work  nicely,  with  a  good  clay  subsoil.  The 
field  planted  in  '95  had  been  a  timothy  meadow  for  about  12  years  previous  to  plow- 
ing for  beets.  We  plowed  six  or  seven  inches  deep,  following  in  the  fall  with  a  sub- 
soil plow,  going  to  the  depth  of  six  inches  more,  stirring  the  soil  thoroughly  to  the 
depth  of  twelve  or  thirteen  inches  and  harrow- 
ing each  day's  plowing  as  it  was  done.  For  the 
seed  bed,  the  field  was  gone  over  three  or  four 
times  with  a  disk  harrow,  working  the  top 

"SMOOTHER"    FOR    BEET    LAND,    MADE    OF    A 

thoroughly  ;     then  we  took  a  railroad  iron,  put  RAILROAD  RAIL. 

on  eight  horses  and  went  over  the  ground  until      Tnis  leyeler  is  28  ft  long  and  bent  slightly 

it  was  perfectly  smooth.     This  smoothing  iron 

is  illustrated  herewith  and  I  like  it  better  than 


a  harrow,  as  it  packs  the  soil  better  ana  makes   *£W°"  Plow.  leve1;,  Hitch  the  horses  so 

that  the  curve  is   to  the  front  as  portrayed 

a  splendid,  fine,  seedbed,  without  which   it   is    above.    If  tne  curve  is  to  the  rear,  the  iron 

will  dip  in  the  middle  and  the  ends  draw  up 

of  but  little  use  to  plant  beets.  Preparation  of  and  it  will  not  work  satisfactorily. 
the  soil  is  the  main  point;  you  cannot  get  the  seedbed  too  good.  One  great  thing  is 
not  working  the  top  too  fine.  In  this  preparation,  most  of  the  work  can  be  done  with 
a  disk  harrow,  as  it  does  not  crush  all  of  the  small  clods,  thus  preventing  blowing  and 
cutting  off  by  the  fine  dirt  and  sand  that  is  driven  over  a  field  that  has  been  so  thor- 
oughly worked.  Planting  was  begun  May  1  and  finished  May  25.  A  little  re-plant- 
ing was  done  June  10.  A  good  stand  hns  never  failed  us  if  the  ground  is  in  perfect 
shape  at  the  time  of  planting.  Planting  is  but  littl*1  trouble,  the  seed  being  put  in 
from  i  to  £  of  an  inch  deep  and  covered  with  a  moist  soil.  The  Jewell  planter  was  used 
last  year  with  good  success.  We  never  use  flat  shovels  in  cultivation,  preferring  the 
goose-foot  shovels,  which  we  like  much  the  best.  Thinning  is  begun  when  the  plants 
are  two  inches  high.  We  bunch  thin  and  clean  all  of  the  small  weeds  out  at  one  time 
and  are  particular  that  this  work  is  well  done.  Cultivation  is  kept  up  every  week  or 
ten  days  as  long  as  we  can  get  through  them;  in  all,  about  five  times. 

"In  1895  the  mode  of  work  was  changed  but  little  from  that  of  the  preceding 
year.  We  were  a  little  more  careful  as  to  details.  Pains  are  taken  that  all  weeds 
are  killed  before  planting.  Plant  as  soon  as  the  soil  is  ready.  Do  not  let  it  lay  three 
or  four  days  after  it  is  ready  to  plant,  as  the  weeds  get  just  that  much  of  a  start.  We 
think  if  we  get  our  crop  started  right,  future  cultivation  is  easy.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  '95,  most  of  our  crop  was  irrigated  the  latter  part  of  July  or  early  August. 
Irrigation  is  what  saved  our  crop  from  testing  low,  as  they  gre\\  and  ripened.  When 
the  late  rains  came  in  the  fall,  they  did  not  take  on  a  second  growth  but  retained 
their  ripeness  and  sugar.  Out  of  56  carloads  shipped  to  the  factory,  only  four  loads 
went  below  12  per  cent  sugar  and  80  per  cent  purity.  Last  year  we  did  not  irrigate, 
but  I  believe  it  will  pay  as  a  rule.  Our  beets  were  not  as  good  last  year  as  in  '95; 
the  early  part  of  the  season  was  too  wet.  The  ground  on  which  the  '95  crop  was 


124  THE    SUGAR    INDUSTRY. 

raised  was  put  to  corn,  beets  and  chicory  last  year;  the  corn  was  a  good  average  crop 
of  50  bu  or  more  per  acre,  the  beets  were  as  good  as  the  average  of  the  field,  and  the 
chicory  from  this  field  took  first  premium  at  the  state  fair.  I  believe  that  12  tons  can 
be  raised  every  year  if  the  work  is  done  properly.  The  beet  crop  of  '95  was  heavy 
arid  it  was  impossible  for  the  factory  to  receive  and  store  what  beets  they  could  not 
work  up  before  they  would  freeze  in  the  ground  or  in  piles,  so  they  gave  the  farmer 
about  30c  per  ton  for  siloing  a  portion  of  their  crop  and  holding  it  five  or  six  weeks, 
thus  giving  the  factory  a  chance  to  take  those  siloed  beets  later  in  the  season.  This 
same  crop  furnished  a  splendid  feed  of  beet  tops  for  milch  cows,  making  the  entire 
feed  for  our  26  head  from  Oct  1  to  Jan  1.  They  produced  an  extra  flow  of  milk  and 
it  tested  high  at  the  creamery.  An  acre  of  beet  tops  is  worth  from  $3  to  $5  as  feed 
for  cows  and  hogs,  both  of  which  eat  them  greedily." 

Here  are  some  reports  from  farmers  at  Chino,  Cal,  for  the  seasons  of  1891-4  inclu- 
sive :  E.  M.  Day  planted  25f  acres  to  beets,  from  which  he  harvested  409  tons,  for 
which  he  received  $1400.  On  his  home  place  he  had  5|  acres,  the  beets  from  which 
brought  $525,  or  $91.30  per  acre.  On  another  ten  acres  he  harvested  204  tons,  which 
brought  him  $4.50  per  ton.  This  makes  the  returns  for  the  ten  acres  $918,  or  $91.80 
per  acre.  The  $1400  he  received  for  his  entire  crop  was  all  clear  gain,  except  $40  he 
paid  out  for  wages  and  $75  for  seed  and  use  of  cultivator.  Himself  and  two  boys,  one 
11  and  the  other  15  years  of  age,  did  enough  work  on  their  own  crop  and  in  exchange 
with  their  neighbors  to  clear  all  expenses  on  their  own  crop  except  the  $115  noted. 
In  other  words,  Mr  Day's  summer  work  on  his  beet  crop  has  brought  him  just  $1284 
in  clear  cash.  Besides  this,  he  has  taken  care  of,  cut  and  harvested  ten  acres  of 
alfalfa  of  his  own,  raised  fourteen  acres  of  barley,  and  did  $50  worth  of  work  cutting 
alfalfa  and  barley  for  other  people.  This  will  go  a  long  way  towards  paying  all  his 
living  expenses  for  the  year,  and  his  beet  crop  can  be  counted  clear  gain.  Mr  Day 
says  he  lived  in  Nebraska  for  twenty-five  years  and  in  all  his  farming  experience  he 
has  never  done  as  well  as  he  has  here,  or  found  the  product  that  paid  as  well  as  sugar 
beets. 

George  C.  Moore  rented  36  acres,  which  he  planted  to  beets.  He  did  the  team 
work  and  a  large  part  of  the  labor  upon  the  crop  himself,  hiring  no  more  than  he 
could  avoid.  He  is  an  energetic,  painstaking  and  careful  man,  and  his  care  has  been 
well  rewarded.  In  making  a  statement  of  his  expenses  on  the  crop,  he  included  his 
own  labor  and  that  of  his  teams.  His  actual  expenses  in  money  were  therefore  much 
less  than  the  figures  given.  He  sold  649  tons  (at  $4.25)  for  $2. 758. 25;  expenses  :  Plowing 
$72,  preparing  ground  $27,  seed  $64,  planting  $12,  thinning  $108,  cultivating  $25.20, 
hoeing  $70,  pulling  and  topping,  $374.50,  hauling  $299.60,  factory  expenses  $52.45, 
total  $1,104.75;  rent,  25  per  cent,  $684.56;  grand  total,  $1,789.31;  net  profit,  $968.94. 

Peter  Varner  harvested  from  eighteen  acres  360  tons  of  beets,  or  twenty  tons  per 
acre.  For  these  he  realized  $3.90  per  ton,  or  $1404  for  his  crop— $78  per  acre.  Less 
than  three  years  ago  Mr  Varner  came  to  Chino  with  no  capital  whatever  but  his 
energy,  his  perseverance  and  his  pluck.  He  has  recently  purchased  $3000  worth  of 
land  for  a  home,  and  he  is  paying  for  it  with  money  realized  from  beet  farming.  He 


THE    BEET   SUGAR    INDUSTRY. 


125 


says  he  is  satisfied  that  there  is  no  other  line  of  farming  in  California  in  which  he 
can  do  as  well  as  growing  sugar  beets. 

N.  S.  Eice  planted  sixteen  acres,  from  which  he  harvested  201  tons  net,  or  about 
12i  tons  per  acre.  At  $5. 60  per  ton,  these  brought  him  $816.52,  or  $51.04  per  acre 
gross.  The  money  he  actually  paid  out  in  raising  and  harvesting  the  crop  was  as  fol- 
lovs:  Seed  $57,  thinning  $54,  plowing  and  planting  $30,  topping  $10,  total  $242.  All 
the  rest  of  the  work  was  done  by  himself  and  no  account  was  kept  of  it.  This  leaves 
his  returns  on  the  sixteen  acres  $574.52. 

W.  C.  Rightrnier  harvested  from  twenty-seven  acres  400  tons,  or  an  average  of  15 
tons  per  acre.  They  analyzed  between  13  and  14  per  cent  sugar,  makiner  an  average 


DELVER    FOR   WORKING  THE   SUBSOIL. 

Machines  of  this  character  are  not  used  in  America,  but  are  considered  almost  indispensable  in  Europe.  The 
work  of  the  delver  begins  where  the  snbsoil  plow  left  off,  the  delver  running  after  it  to  still  more  deeply  stir  the  sub- 
soil so  that  the  beets  have  the  least  possible  resistance  to  overcome  in  their  descending  development.  Mr  Ware  says 
in  The  Sugar  Beet  for  November,  1896,  from  which  our  engraving  is  taken :  "'This  delving  operation  is  frequently  con- 
tinued even  after  the  roots  have  attained  considerable  size,  that  is,  after  weeds  are  little  to  be  dreaded  and  when  the 
cultivators  are  no  longer  necessary."  It  is  easy  to  see  how  useful  such  an  implement  can  become,  especially  during 
a  long  dry  spell,  when  the  lower  portions  of  the  soil  are  frequently  too  hard  to  admit  of  a  thorough  penetration  by  the 
shoots  and  hairy  growth  of  the  beet. 

price  of  say  $4.10  per  ton.  This  would  give  Mr  Rightmier  in  the  neighborhood  of 
$61.50  per  acre  from  his  field.  Another  field  of  eight  acres  gave  172  tons  of  beets 
averaging  14i  per  cent  sugar,  21i  tons  per  acre  at  $4. 50  per  ton,  or  a  return  of  $96. 75 
an  acre  for  the  field. 

HOW  THE  INDUSTRY  EMPLOYS  AND  PAYS   LABOR. 

The  chief  item  in  raising  sugar  beets  is  labor.  It  constitutes  from  60  to  75  per 
cent  of  the  total  expense  of  beets  delivered  to  the  factory,  and  in  some  cases  even 
more.  Out  of  average  expenses  of  $36  per  acre  in  Nebraska,  over  $25  was  for 
labor.  Mr  James  Bardin's  225  acres  that  produced  such  a  profit  in  1892  (see  page  121), 
was  sowed  to  barley  the  next  year,  the  crop  yielding  3500  Ibs  per  acre  and  at  65c  per 
cental  made  a  net  profit  of  $12.75  per  acre — about  one-fifth  the  profit  on  sugar  beets. 
He  paid  for  labor  on  this  barley  crop  $360,  while  the  labor  on  the  beet  crop  on  the 


126  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

same  land  the  year  before  cost  $10,666.  Adding  $3500  for  payroll  to  labor  at  factory 
during  the  time  required  to  manufacture  the  crop  into  sugar,  labor  got  about 
$15,000  out  of  this  beet  crop.  In  other  words,  for  every  dollar  paid  for  labor  on  bar- 
ley, there  were  paid  $41  for  labor  on  beets,  so  that  "for  every  man  who  gets  a  job  on 
a  grain  crop,  41  persons  get  a  job  on  beets." 

Skilled  labor  is  not  required  for  much  of  the  work  of  pulling  and  harvesting, 
while  some  of  the  thinning  and  weeding  can  be  done  by  boys  and  girls.  The  crop 
thus  furnishes  an  extremely  important  home  market  for  a  grade  of  labor  that  other- 
wise would  hardly  be  employed  at  all.  Indeed,  such  labor  can  be  worked  to  better 
advantage  and  more  cheaply  than  Chinese  contract  labor.  James  Hopkins,  Jr.,  of 
Watsonville  does  not  believe  in  paying  $1  per  ton  of  beets  for  Chinese  labor,  as  his 
crop  last  year,  worked  with  white  boys  and  girls,  cost  him  only  75cperton  for  labor. 
Of  course  boys  will  be  boys,  and  it  is  necessary  to  work  in  the  field  with  them  your- 
self, but  under  proper  supervision  boys  and  girls  will  work  rapidly  and  well  and  are 
to  be  preferred  to  the  contract  system.  If  25  or  30  per  cent  can  be  saved  by  employ- 
ing boys  and  girls,  it  amounts  to  many  thousands  of  dollars  each  year. 

No  other  crop  is  so  attractive  to  the  laborer  of  all  ages  and  grades  of  skill  as  the 
sugar  beet.  It  gives  employment  not  only  to  the  farmer,  but  to  every  member  of  his 
family,  pays  them  spot  cash  for  this  labor  and  yields  a  fair  profit  besides.  J.  W. 
Johnson  made  a  study  of  this  point  in  the  Nebraska  beet  fields  in  '96  and  reports  in 
the  State  Journal :  "The  net  profits  of  the  growers,  in  one  case  amounting  to  $1400 
on  80  acres,  does  not  alone  measure  the  importance  of  the  industry.  Its  value  to  the 
community  consists  chiefly  in  giving  employment  to  all  people  who  want  to  work,  and 
to  that  class  who  are  unskilled  and  can  perform  only  the  simplest  kind  of  labor. 
Anyone  who  can  handle  a  hoe  or  pull  weeds  can  earn  money  all  summer  in  the  beet 
fields.  Anyone  who  can  hold  a  sharp  corn  knife  in  one  hand  and  a  beet  in  the  other 
can  top  beets  and  earn  $1.25  a  day.  Any  man  can  load  beets  into  a  wagon  from  the 
field  and  can  shovel  them  out  of  the  warehouse  at  the  factory.  All  this  labor  is 
available  to  those  who  need  labor  most.  There  is  $25  worth  of  cheap  labor  in  every 
crop  of  beets  produced.  A  large  part  of  this  goes  into  the  pockets  of  poor  people  who 
have  no  ability  to  make  plans  for  themselves,  or  to  sustain  themselves  in  any  other 
way  except  by  manual  labor  of  the  simplest  kind." 

PRICE   OF  BEETS. 

The  price  paid  for  beets  is  for  the  net  weight  of  trimmed  and  washed  beets  as 
delivered  at  the  factory.  When  beets  arrive  at  the  factory,  an  average  50  pounds  is 
taken  from  each  wagon  load,  thoroughly  washed,  examined  to  see  if  properly  topped, 
and  then  weighed  again,  the  loss  determining  the  tare.  This  tare  should  not  be  over 
5  per  cent,  if  the  beets  are  properly  harvested  and  prepared.  Two  systems  of  paying 
for  beets  are  in  vogue,  a  straight  price  and  a  graded  price.  The  beet  grower  who 
gets  a  straight  price  per  ton  knows  what  each  ton  will  bring  beyond  question,  and 
knows  that  he  can  sell  all  of  his  beets  that  come  up  to  the  required  standard,  which 
is  usually  12  per  cent  sugar  of  80  purity.  Beets  poor  in  quality  are  refused  or 
accepted  at  n,  much  lower  price.  On  the  other  hand,  if  paid  according  to  the  amount 
of  sugar  in  the  beet,  the  careful  farmer  who  grows  rich  beets  will  get  a  better  price. 


THE    BEET   SUGAll    INDUSTRY.  12? 

The  Sprecke^  factory  at  Wa+sonville  and  his  new  mill  at  Salinas  pay  a  straight  price, 
at  present  $4  per  ton,  though  before  the  repeal  of  the  McKinley  bill  it  was  $5  per 
ton.  We  believe  the  Alvarado  factory  has  also  paid  a  straight  price.  At  Chino,  how- 
ever, the  tirst  live-year  contract  was  based  on  $3.50  per  ton  for  beets  containing  12 
per  cent  of  sugar  and  25c  additional  for  each  additional  3  per  cent,  and  under  it  farm- 
ers received  an  average  of  $4.50  per  ton.  In  1896,  contracts  were  based  on  $3.25  per 
ton  with  an  additional  25c  per  ton  for  each  percentage  above  12,  which  has  netted  the 
growers  nearly  $3.78  per  ton.  To  protect  their  interests,  the  growers  are  well  organ- 
ized and  choose  their  own  weigher  and  chemist  and  also  their  own  tare  man,  the 
expense  being  about  3c  per  ton. 

In  Nebraska,  at  first  $4  per  ton  was  offered  for  12  per  cent  beets  of  80  purity,  the 
price  being  advanced  25c  for  every  additional  percentage  of  sugar,  up  to  $7  for  beets 
containing  20  per  cent  sugar,  but  it  was  afterwards  found  to  be  more  satisfactory  to 
have  an  average  price  for  all  beets  above  12  per  cent  sugar  with  80  purity,  and  this 
price  was  fixed  at  $5  per  ton  (including  the  $1  state  bounty).  If  the  beets  run  below 
this  standard,  they  are  accepted  at  half  price.  In  Utah,  the  plan  was  tried  of  pay- 
ing different  prices  for  different  qualities  of  beets,  but  it  proved  so  unsatisfactory  to 
farmers,  that  one  fixed  price  of  $4.25  was  established  for  all  beets  containing  11  per 
cent  sugar  of  80  purity,  the  price  for  1897  being  $4,  and  beets  below  this  standard 
are  not  accepted  at  all.  Where  the  farmer  is  careful  with  his  growing  crop  and  at 
harvest  sorts  out  all  the  large  coarse  beets,  this  crop  will  usually  fulfill  the  contract. 

HOAV   TO   GET  A   SUGAR   FACTORY. 

The  first  step  to  take  to  get  a  beet-sugar  factory,  is  to  demonstrate  that  your 
township,  county  and  district  can  grow  the  right  kind  of  beets  in  profitable  quan- 
tity. If  your  farmers  have  not  demonstrated  this  fact,  apply  to  your  state  experi- 
ment station  for  particulars  about  tests  that  have  been  made  in  other  parts  by  the 
state.  Get  all  the  points  you  can  from  your  experiment  station — that's  what  it  is  for, 
to  help  your  farmers  and  free  of  cost  to  them.  Then  from  the  instructions  given  in 
this  book,  let  every  farmer  grow  half  an  acre  or  less  of  beets.  Have  samples  of  all 
these  beets  analyzed  at  your  state  experiment  station*  to  determine  their  sugar  con- 
tent and  purity.  Keep  a  record  of  all  these  crops,  the  soils  and  conditions  under 
which  they  were  grown,  yield,  cost,  etc.  Repeat  these  tests  a  second  and  third  year 
if  necessary,  to  establish  the  fact  that  your  locality  is  adapted  to  the  crop.  A  small 
patch  of  beets  on  various  soils  on  each  farm  is  better  for  testing  than  a  few  large 
areas.  The  beets  can  be  fed  with  profit  to  stock,  if  no  factory  is  available  to  which 
they  can  be  shipped.  This  sort  of  preliminary  work  has  been  done  for  years  in  many 
parts  of  California  and  accounts  for  the  firm  position  of  the  industry  in  that  state. 

Analyses  of  beets  grown  under  all  sorts  of  conditions  and  soils  will  enable  any 
practical  beet-sugar  man  to  decide  whether  such  locality  can  be  depended  upon  to 
furnish  beets  in  sufficient  quantity  and  quality  to  operate  a  factory  successfully. 
There  is  no  doubt  in  the  least  of  the  reliability  of  the  laboratory  or  analytical  work 
of  our  sugar  chemists.  Consequently,  we  were  surprised  to  have  a  gentleman  who 
was  supposed  to  know  something  about  the  industry  advise  localities  wanting  sugar 
factories  to  begin  by  establishing  a  small  distillery.  "With  a  capital  of  $30,000,  such 

*  See  addresses  of  experiment  stations  at  bottom  of  next  page. 


THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


a  plant  could  work  30  tons  of  beets  per  day,  using  all  roots  furnished.  Every  gallon 
of  pure  alcohol  obtained  corresponds  to  a  certain  per  cent  of  sugar  in  the  beet.  Then, 
after  the  farmers  had  learned  how  to  grow  beets,  the  purchase  of  beet-sugar  machin- 
ery could  follow."  This  suggestion  is  not  practical  at  the  present  time,  if  indeed, 
it  ever  was.  In  the  first  place,  analyses  will  determine  the  sugar  content,  and  sec 
omlly,  such  a  distillery  would  not  pay.  The  tax  on  alcohol  is  too  high  and  it  requires 
.1  very  large  amount  of  grain  to  give  to  alcohol  from  beets  the  necessary  life. 
Besides,  the  whisky  trust  would  interfere  with  the  sale  of  such  a  product.  The 
thing  has  been  tried  with  molasses  from  Grand  Island  at  the  Columbia  distillery  in 
South  Omaha.  It  was  found  there  was  no  money  in  it.  Mr  Thomas  R.  Cutler,  man- 
ager of  the  Utah  sugar  company,  informs  us  that  he  has  investigated  this  matter  thor- 
oughly in  both  American  and  foreign  countries,  and  has  concluded  that  in  the  United 
States  it  would  be  unprofitable. 

The  beets  and  other  essentials  satisfactorily  provided  for,  the  one  vital  question 
becomes:  Will  farmers  contract  for  a  series  of  years  to  grow  2500  to  10,000  acres  of 
sugar  beeta  for  the  factory,  depending  upon  its  size,  at  an  average  of  say  $4  per  ton 
delivered  at  factory,  with  the  full  benefit  that  may  come  from  whatever  state  or 
national  aid  may  be  extended  to  the  industry?  The  locality  that  is  able  to  offer  the 
best  guarantee  of  this  kind  is  the  one  that  (other  things  being  equal)  will  prove  most 
attractive  to  any  who  may  be  seeking  investment  in  sugar  factories. 

To  conduct  all  this  work  to  the  best  advantage,  a  local  organization  is  desirable. 
For  this  purpose  let  all  interested  unite  in  forming  a  local  branch  of  the  American 


*  THE   STATE  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS, 

Where  located,  name  and  postofflce  address  of  the  director  or  person  in  charge. 


ALABAMA— Auburn:  College  Sta- 
tion; W.L.  Broun.  Uniontown  : 
Canebrake  Station  ;  H.  Beiiton. 

ARIZONA— Tucson  :  W.  S.  Devol. 

ARKANSAS— Fayetteville;  R.  L. 
Bennett. 

CALIFORNIA— Berkeley :  E.  W. 
Hilgard. 

COLORADO— Fort  Collins :  Alston 
Ellis. 

CONNECTICUT— NewHaven :  State 
station  ;  S.  W.  Johnson.  Storrs : 
Storrs  Station  ;  W.  O.  Atwater. 

DELAWARE— Newark :  A.  T.  Neale. 

FLORIDA— Lake  City :  O.  Clute. 

GEORGIA— Experiment :  R.  J. 
Redding. 

IDAHO— Moscow :  C.  P.  Fox. 

ILLINOIS— Urbana :  E.  Davenport. 

INDIANA— Lafayette :  C.  S.  Plumb. 

IOWA — Ames:  James  Wilson. 

KANSAS— Manhattan:  G.  T.  Fair- 
child. 

KENTUCKY-Lexington :  M.  A. 
Sco  veil. 

LOUISIANA— Audubon  Park,  New 
Orleans:  Sugar  Station.  Baton 
Rouge:  State  Station.  Cal- 
houn  :  North  Louisiana  Station  ; 
W.  C.  Stubbs 


MAINE— Orono:  C.  D.  Woods. 

MARYLAND— College  Park:  R.  H. 
Miller. 

MASSACHUSETTS— Amherst:  H. 
H.  Goodell. 

MICHIGAN— Agricultural  College: 
C.  u.  Smith. 

MlNNESOTArrrSt  Anthony  Park: 
W.  M.  Liggett. 

MISSISSIPPI— Agricultural  c  o  1  - 
lege:  S.  M.Tracy. 

MISSOURI— Columbia :  H.  J.  Wa- 
ters. 

MONTANA— B  o  z  e  m  a  ii  :  S.  M. 
Emery. 

NEBRASKA— Lincoln:  G.  E.  Mac- 
Lean. 

NEVADA— Reno:  J.  E.  Stubbs. 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE— Durham :  C. 
S.  Murkland. 

NEW  JERSEY— New  Brunswick: 
E.  B.  Voorhees. 

NEW  MEXICO— Mesilla  Park :  C. 
T.  Jordan. 

NEW  YORK— Geneva:  State  Sta- 
tion; W.  H.  Jordan.  Ithaca: 
Cornell  University  Station;  I. 
P.  Roberts. 

NORTH  CAROLINA  -Raleigh :  H. 
B.  Battle. 


NORTH    DAKOTA— Fargo :    J.    H. 

Worst. 

OHIO— Wooster:  C.  E.  Thome. 
OKLAHOMA— Stillwater:     G.     E. 

Morrow. 

OREGON— Corvallis:  H.  B.  Miller. 
PENNSYLVANIA— State     College: 

H.  P.  Armsby. 
RHODE  ISLAND— Kingston :   C.  O. 

Flagg. 

SOUTH  CAROLINA— Clemson   Col- 
lege: E.  B.  Craighead. 
SOUTH    DAKOTA— Brookings:    J. 

H.  Shepard. 
TENNESSEE— Knoxville:      C.     F. 

Vanderford. 
TEXAS— College    Station:    J.    H. 

Connell. 

UTAH— Logan :  L.  Foster. 
VERMONT— Burlington :      J.      L. 

Hills. 
VIRGINIA— Blacksburg :  J.  M.  Mc- 

Bryde. 
WASHINGTON— Pullman :     E.    A. 

Bryan. 
WEST     VIRGINIA— Morgantown : 

J.  A.  Myers. 
WISCONSIN— Madison  :    W.   A. 

Henry. 
WYOMING — Laramie:  F.P.Graves. 


i 


130  THE   SUGAR  INDUSTRY. 

Sugar  Growers'  Society.  Then  you  will  be  leagued  with  similar  efforts  all  over  the 
country,  provided  the  society  is  thus  supported,  and  in  many  ways  can  benefit  by 
such  connection. 

As  to  financiering  a  sugar  factory  enterprise  after  it  is  demonstrated  that  your 
community  can  furnish  the  necessary  beets,  there  are  numerous  methods.  On  gen- 
eral principles,  we  do  not  favor  paying  a  bonus  outright  to  secure  an  industry, 
although  this  is  a  very  common  method.  If  outside  capital  is  necessary,  it  can  usu- 
ally be  attracted  by  the  offer  of  the  community  that  wants  a  factory  to  furnish  a  part 
of  the  money.  Suppose,  for  instance,  it  is  desired  to  erect  a  plant  which,  with  working 
capital  and  all  appurtenances,  requires  an  investment  of  $500,000.  Instead  of  offering  a 
bonus  of  lands  or  money,  let  the  community  offer  to  take  one-fifth  or  two-fifths  or 
.even  one-half  of  the  capital  stdck,  provided  outsiders  will  furnish  the  other  half  and 
the  expert  management  the  enterprise  requires  to  be  successful.  Let  it  be  constantly 
borne  in  mind  that  such  management  is  quite  as  essential  as  capital.  And  if  the 
community  supplies  some  of  the  money,  the  enterprise  will  be  assured  of  a  more 
direct  interest  and  heartier  support  than  if  it  was  wholly  owned  by  outsiders.  Farrn- 
•ers  might  take  an  interest  in  the  factory  by  agreeing  to  pay  for  their  shares  partly  in 
cash  and  partly  in  beets.  Except  in  the  very  newest  regions,  where  money  is 
extremely  scarce,  the  people  in  almost  any  county  can  raise  a  goodly  sum  of  money 
for  an  investment  of  this  kind  if  they  really  mean  business.  Of  course  the  rights  and 
interests  of  all  the  parties  to  such  a  trade  should  be  properly  seen  to,  but  as  a  rule 
we  believe  in  this  policy  of  home  talent  and  home  money  building  up  home  indus- 
tries. It  fosters  a  spirit  of  thrift  and  enterprise  that  is  often  lacking  in  communities 
'that  are  supported  by  industries  operated  wholly  by  foreign  capital. 

If,  however,  the  people  of  the  locality  will  not  put  up  any  money  on  any  of  these 
plans,  let  them  not  find  fault  that  they  have  to  depend  wholly  upon  outside  capital. 
Judging  from  some  of  the  criticism  we  have  heard  of  the  Oxnards*  investment  in" 
ibeet-sugar  factories  in  Nebraska,  some  of  the  people  of  that  state  at  least  consider  it 
almost  a  crime  for  an  outsider  to  invest  his  money  in  new  industrial  enterprises!  We 
can  but  believe,  however,  that  such  critics  constitute  only  a  small  fraction  of  the 
population  of  that  great  state.  Such  critics  should  understand  that  other  states  are 
only  too  anxious  to  attract  outside  capital,  and  many  towns  seem  to  be  ready  to  make 
even  extravagant  efforts  to  obtain  it.  But  we  also  feel  that  some  of  such  enterpris- 
ing communities  would  accomplish  more  in  the  long  run  by  putting  more  of  their 
,own  money  into  these  new  industries. 

WHERE  AND  HOW  TO  START  A  SUGAR  FACTORY. 

In  starting  a  sugar  factory,  it  is  necessary  to  erect  the  plant  where  there  is  rail- 
road competition.  Transportation  of  beets  and  factory  supplies  is  a  most  important 
consideration,  requiring  the  lowest  possible  rates.  The  sugar  itself  is  also  a  bulky 
product,  the  distribution  of  which  among  local  and  more  distant  markets  must  be 
fairly  considered. 

The  nearer  the  factory  can  be  to  the  beets,  the  better.     Unlike  other  manufactur- 
ing enterprises,  it  should  be  in  the  beet  fields  and  not  close  to  a  town.      If  it  is  possi 
.ble,  the  sugar  factory  should  be  located  in  the  very  center  of  farming  districts,  where 


THE  BEET  SUGAR  INDUSTRY.  131 

at  least  10,000  acres  of  good  beet  land  could  be  controlled  within  a  radius  of  not  more 
than  six  miles,  so  that  the  beets  can  be  delivered  by  wagon.  This  saves  an  immense 
amount  of  expense  in  railroad  freights.  Moreover,  the  factory  cannot  get  quite  as 
good  results  from  beets  grown  at  a  distance  as  from  those  close  at  home  that  are 
delivered  by  wagon  with  the  least  delay  after  harvest. 

An  abundant  supply  of  pure  water  is  imperative  and  perfect  drainage  is  absolute- 
ly necessary. 

Plenty  of  pure  lime  rock,  containing  a  very  small  percentage  of  silica,  is  required. 
Also  coal,  coke  or  oil  for  fuel.  All  these  bulky  materials  should  be  available  at 
the  least  expense  for  freight  as  well  as  first  cost. 

No  factory  should  be  built  with  a  capacity  of  less  than  300  tons  of  beets  per  day 
of  24  hours,  and  it  should  be  so  designed  that  the  capacity  can  be  increased  in  future 
at  the  minimum  of  expense.  The  cost  of  operating  such  a  plant  is  25  to  50c  per  ton  of 
beet  worked  less  than  for  a  factory  with  half  this  capacity.  The  limit  of  size  beyond 
which  profitable  economies  cannot  be  obtained  seems  to  be  about  1000  tons  of  beets 
per  day,  as  the  latest  improved  large  factory — Salinas  mill— is  practically  three  sep- 
arate outfits  of  1000  tons  capacity  daily,  but  under  one  roof. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  branch  plants  be  established  for  making  a  crude  prod- 
uct to  be  transported  by  rail  to  a  central  factory,  where  the  process  of  manufacture  and 
refining  might  be  completed.  Such  plants  for  making  a  crude  product  would,  of  course, 
cost  a  small  sum  compared  to  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  required  in  a  large 
beet-sugar  factory.  Up  to  the  present  time,  however,  all  experience  with  existing 
methods  is  against  this  proposition.  Only  the  larger  factories  are  able  to  run  to-day 
in  this  or  other  countries,  and  many  small  factories  in  foreign  parts  have  had  to  close 
their  doors  during  the  past  few  years  of  lower  prices  and  increasing  competition.  To 
meet  these  conditions,  it  is  imperative  that  the  factory  operate  on  a  large  scale  and 
in  such  a  way  as  to  reduce  to  a  minimum  the  expense  per  ton  of  beets  or  per  pound 
of  sugar.  It  costs  relatively  but  little  more  for  the  experts  and  labor  to  operate  a 
plant  capable  of  working  up  600  tons  of  beets  per  day  than  one  of  half  that  capacity. 
The  beet  is  such  a  bulky  product  that  every  possible  means  must  be  taken  advantage 
of  to  keep  down  the  expense  of  handling  or  working  it.  There  are  many  pretty  the- 
ories about  what  might  be  done,  but  the  average  investor  or  farmer  realizes  the  ne- 
cessity of  sticking  close  to  the  latest  improved  methods  that  have  demonstrated  by 
actual  experience  to  be  money  makers. 

Of  course  improvements  in  sugar  manufacture  are  even  more  likely  to  be  made  in 
the  future  than  in  the  past.  There  has  been  much  talk  of  late  of  the  new  process  of 
crystallization  in  motion,  the  Seffens  process,  osmosis  and  several  others,  but  it  costs 
enormously  to  introduce  them  and  it  is  a  question  to  be  decided  in  each  case  whether 
the  result  pays  in  dollars  and  cents.  American  genius  may  yet  solve  these  and  many 
other  problems,  including  the  matter  of  small  factories,  refining,  etc,  but  meanwhile, 
those  who  are  in  the  business  for  revenue  will  let  the  "other  fellow"  do  the  costly 
experimenting.  In  order  to  compete  with  the  sugar  trust,  our  American  beet-sugar 
factories  have  been  equipped  with  refining  outfits  and  thus  realize  the  refiners'  prof- 


132  THE   SUGAK   INDUSTRY. 

its.  Mr  Ware  says  that  in  Europe,  the  tendency  is  to  abandon  this  plan,  the  facto- 
ries making  raw  sugar  to  be  shipped  to  refineries. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  the  system  of  branch  factories  tributary  to  a  central  plant,, 
similar  to  the  Cambria  factory  in  France,  may  at  some  time  be  established  in  the 
United  States.  The  Cambria  central  factory  is  located  in  the  midst  of  beet  fields  and 
is  also-  near  limestone  quarries  and  coal  mines,  and  has  water  transportation  for  all 
these  raw  materials.  There  are  16  rasping  stations,  the  furthest  being  nine  miles 
away  from  the  central  factory,  with  which  they  are  connected  by  pipes  at  these  sta- 
tions. The  beets  are  washed,  weighed,  sliced,  and  run  into  the  diffusion  batteries  in 
the  way  common  in  American  beet-sugar  factories.  The  juice  from  the  diffusion  bat- 
teries is  then  treated  with  a  solution  of  lime  to  keep  it  from  acidulating  and  is  forced 
through  pipes  to  the  central  Isugarhouse,  where  it  is  at  once  carried  forward  in  the 
manufacturing  process  in  the  usual  way,  with  certain  modifications.  This  concern 
works  up  3000  tons  of  beets  daily  and  with  its  rasping  stations  gives  employment  to 
2000  men,  women  and  children. 

How  to  build  a  factory.  —  All  preliminaries  having  been  satisfactorily  adjusted 
and  the  company  ready  to  build  a  factory,  let  it  invite  bids  from  the  various  Ameri- 
can firms  that  make  a  specialty  of  this  work.  The  announcements  of  these  experts 
will  be  found  at  the  close  of  this  book.  They  are  sufficiently  numerous  to  insure 
competition  and  the  lowest  prices  consistent  with  quality  of  the  machinery  required. 
Some  of  these  concerns  can  also  furnish  expert  managers  to  conduct  the  sugar  factory 
through  the  first  campaign,  until  others  can  be  educated  for  the  purpose.  We  cannot 
too  strongly  urge  our  readers  to  in  this  way  get  the  benefit  of  all  American  experi- 
ence, as  well  as  competition  among  factory  contractors  and  outfitters. 

'"*  COST  OF  A  BEET  SUGAR  FACTORY. 


•j\ 

}•          Kilby  Mfg  Go's  estimate  of  approximate  cost  of  building  a  sugarhouse  and  refinery  of  a  daily  (24r 
hours)  capacity  of  350  to  400  tons  of  beets. 

Stone  work,  foundations  and  floors,          -  $12.500 

Steel  and  iron,  structural  frame  and  roofs,  -     16,500 

Brick  work,  12,000 

Windows  and  doors,  -         650 

Hardware,  700 

Painting,  -.-         8(K> 

Tarred  paper  for  roofs,  300' 

Vitrified  pipe,  -          900 

Cornice,  cutters  and  leaders,  300 

Lumber,  -       5,000 

Freights  on  materials,  4,000 

Erecting  labor  of  steel  and  iron  frame,  -       2,000 

Beet  sheds  and  storage  for  beets,  5,000 

Pulp  silo,  -       4,000 

Complete  machinery  for  refinery,  225,000 

Machinery  foundations  and  masonry  for  boilers,  -       5,000- 

Fire  clay,  fire  brick,  etc,  for  boilers,  kilns,  etc,  4,500 

Pipe  covering,  -       2,500 

Labor  erecting  and  starting  machinery,  20,000 

Hardware,  belting  and  other  fixtures,  -       5,000 

Freight  on  machinery,  35,000 

Salaries  erecting  superintendent  and  necessary  help  to  superintend  erecting  and 

starting  of  sugarhouse  and  refinery,  including  traveling  and  other  expenses,  15,000 

Total,  -           -                                     $376,650 

The  Walburn-Swenson  Co  writes:  "The  cost  of  machinery  complete  for  a  factory 

of  300  to  350  tons  of  beets  per  day,  the  whole  to  be  of  the  very  best  design  and  work- 


THE   BEET  SUGAK   INDUSTRY.  133 

manship  and  capable  of  making  white  sugar  direct  from  the  beets,  without  any 
refining,  would  be  in  tne  neighborhood  of  $170,000  on  cars  in  Chicago.  The  machinery 
for  a  factory  having  double  this  capacity  would  cost  in  the  neighborhood  of  $260,000. 
The  cost  of  a  first-class  brick  building,  including  boiler  house  for  the  smaller  size 
factory,  would  be  from  forty  to  fifty  thousand  dollars.  This  would  also  include  foun- 
dations, lime  kilns,  etc.  Just  what  the  cost  of  the  sheds  for  holding  the  beets  would 
be,  I  cannot  say,  but  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  four  or  five  thousand  dollars  would  be 
sufficient  to  cover  this  item.  All  the  castings,  etc,  for  the  lime"  kiln  are  included  in 


A    BIG    PILE    OF    BEETS    AT    ALVARADO,    CALIFORNIA, 

Showing  also  the  sluiceway  of  running  water  by  which  the  beets  are  carried  into  the  factory. 

the  price  of  machinery,  and  the  brick  work  would  be  easily  within  the  above  cost  of 
buildings.  A  building  for  the  larger  plant  would  probably  cost  $75,000.  There 
is  no  doubt  but  what  there  is  a  great  misconception  as  to  the  cost  of  a  fac- 
tory of  this  kind,  and  many  people  write  us,  thinking  that  with  an  old  building  and 
second-hand  boiler  and  engine  that  has  been  used  for  some  other  purpose,  they  have 
:a  good  nucleus  for  a  beet-sugar  factory,  and  for  twenty  or  thirty  thousand  dollars  it 
•can  be  all  fitted  up.  Any  attempt  of  this  kind  is  simply  throwing  money  away,  and 
it  would  be  a  great  misfortune  to  the  beet-sugar  business  to  have  it  gone  into  with- 
out sufficient  capital  to  erect  a  factory  of  proper  size,  as  well  as  of  the  most  modern 


134  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

construction.  The  machinery,  of  course,  comes  very  high,  but  it  must  be  built  in 
such  a  way  that  there  will  be  no  mistake  about  its  working,  as  breakdowns  and 
delays  are  fatal  to  the  industry  during  the  short  season  they  have  to  work." 

As  competition  increases  the  number  of  machinery  builders  and  the  demand  for 
apparatus  of  the  same  kind  and  dimensions  increases,  these  prices  will  doubtless  be1 
reduced. 

ON  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  SUGAR   FACTORIES. 

A  factory  having  been  well  located,  properly  constructed  and  equipped,  its  proper 
management  involves  three  essentials.  First,  expert  or  scientific  oversight  of  the 
processes  of  sugar  manufacture;  second,  the  utmost  economy,  good  management  and 
businesslike  methods  in  conducting  the  work  of  manufacture,  seeing  to  it  that  there 
is  no  unnecessary  expense  or  waste,  that  labor  and  machinery  are  constantly 
employed  to  the  best  advantage  and  that  all  the  operations  of  manufacture  are  man- 
aged in  the  best  way  possible;  third,  proper  financial  or  business  management,  in 
obtaining  supplies,  selling  the  product  and  attending  to  the  manifold  and  extensive 
financial  operations  involved  in  so  large  an  enterprise. 

The  thoroughness  with  which  each  of  these  essentials  is  observed  will  govern  the 
profits  of  the  enterprise.  No  one  should  put  money  into  the  business  on  the  supposi- 
tion that  it  is  a  bonanza  that  can  be  conducted  carelessly  or  wastefully  or  in  defiance 
of  business  piinciples.  Within  a  few  years,  the  number  of  sugar  factories  will  be 
such  that,  with  competition  from  abroad  in  the  desperate  efforts  of  the  foreign  sugar 
industry  to  throttle  American  interests,  only  the  best-managed  concerns  will  operate 
at  a  satisfactory  profit.  The  fact  that  a  plant  can  run  only  about  one-third  of  the 
year,  makes  the  "dead  season"  a  long  one,  and  also  increases  the  depreciation  in 
machinery.  The  earnings  of  the  business  should  be  sufficient  not  only  to  pay  a  rea- 
sonable dividend  upon  the  capital  stock,  but  also  to  keep  up  the  plant,  and  to  charge  off 
liberally  for  depreciation.  Unless  this  is  done,  after  a  few  years  repairs  will  not  only 
consume  all  profits  but  perhaps  require  additional  capital.  Even  in  Germany,  many 
failures  have  occurred  in  sugar  factories,  but  in  90  per  cent  of  the  cases,  bad  manage- 
ment was  the  direct  cause. 

"Great  progress  has  been  made  in  the  actual  science  of  sugar  extraction.  Not 
many  years  since,  it  was  considered  highly  satisfactory  if  molasses  residuum  repre- 
sented 4  per  cent  of  the  total  weight  of  beets  worked  while  now  in  many  factories  If 
per  cent  is  the  least  amount  that  is  considered  to  represent  good  work  in  German  fac- 
tories. An  improved  process  of  sugar  manufacture  in  Germany  is  claimed  to  greatly 
reduce  the  bulk  of  molasses,  to  only  1.38  per  cent  of  the  total  weight  of  beets  worked 
at  the  factory.  In  a  German  factory  working  under  favorable  conditions  during  the 
past  campaign,  the  beets  averaged  12.92  per  cent  sugar  and  the  extraction  was  12.26 
per  cent,  the  loss  consequently  being  0.66  per  cent  of  the  weight  of  the  beete.  This 
loss  was  made  up  as  follows:  In  the  residuum  cossettes  0.25,  waste  water  from  diffu- 
sion 0.12,  filter  press  scums  0.25,  second  filter  scums  0.03,  which  means  a  total  of  0.65, 
leaving  0.01  per  cent  unaccounted  for.  There  was  consumed  limestone  4.6  per  cent 
weight  of  the  beet,  coke  0.69  per  cent,  fuel  10.2  Ibs  per  Ib  beets." 

Mr  Ware  also  cites  a  550-ton  factory  (in  Germany),  where  the  expense  of  factory 
operation  of  $2.03  per  ton  of  beets  in  1893  was  by  closer  management  reduced  to  $1.52: 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY.  135 

three  years  later,  when  it  was  for  fuel  43c,  lirne  and  coke  16c,  labor  and  siloing  56ct 
maintenance  and  depreciation  15c,  sundries  22c. 

AS  TO  CO-OPERATIVE  SUGAR  FACTORIES. 

A  great  deal  of  loose  talk  has  been  indulged  in  upon  this  subject.  Farmers  and 
others  who  would  not  co-operate  or  work  together  to  conduct  the  simplest  form  of  a 
country  store,  creamery  or  co-operative  marketing,  have  proclaimed  learnedly  as  to 
the  advantages  of  co-operative  sugar  factories.  The  ideas  expressed  have  been  in  the 
main  crude  and  unbusinesslike,  though  the  object  sought  is  highly  commendable. 

In  this,  as  in  all  other  co-operative  effort,  it  should  be. distinctly  understood  that 
co-operation  is  not  a  new  method  of  conducting  business  but  simply  provides  a  differ- 
ent method  of  dividing  the  profits  of  industry — to  labor  or  produce  rather  than  to  cap- 
ital. "The  same  principles  that  govern  success  in  acquiring  profit  on  capital,  apply 
to  the  acquirement  of  profit  to  divide  upon  labor.  Industry,  application,  persever- 
ance, good  judgment,  all  are  required  in  the  co-operative  as  in  the  existing  methods 
of  industry.  Co-operation  is  not  a  means  whereby  the  business  of  production  and 
distribution  will  run  itself  and  pour  a  golden  stream  into  the  pockets  of  the  people. 
True  co-operative  effort  is  by  no  means  independent  of  the  everyday  principles  that 
underlie  success  in  any  undertaking  or  business." 

Especially  is  this  true  in  the  beet-sugar  business.  The  factory  must  be  located, 
built,  equipped  and  managed  with  the  utmost  wisdom  and  in  the  best  possible  way. 
This  can  only  be  obtained  by  employing  persons  of  experience  in  the  industry,  pref- 
erably those  who  have  had  experience  under  American  conditions.  These  experi- 
enced persons  must  also  be  reliable,  or  they  may  so  conduct  the  enterprise  as  to  use 
much  more  money  than  is  absolutely  essential.  All  these  points  must  be  properly 
safeguarded,  whether  the  sugar  factory  is  owned  co-operatively,  or  by  a  stock  com- 
pany, or  by  a  single  individual.  In  either  case,  it  must  be  run  on  the  same  business- 
like basis.  Indeed,  a  factory  that  is  owned  co-operatively— that  is,  by  beet  growers 
in  part  in  connection  with  others — should  even  be  better  managed  than  a  private 
enterprise,  because  so  many  are  ready  to  criticise  the  slightest  mistake.  Farmers 
who  think  a  co-operative  factory  is  one  that  will  pay  them  more  per  ton  for  beets  of 
inferior  quality  than  a  private  factory  can  afford  to  pay  for  rich  beets,  will  be  wo- 
fully  deceived.  A  factory  can  get  no  more  out  of  the  business  than  there  is  in  it. 

In  a  strictly  co-operative  factory,  each  shareholder  has  but  one  vote,  irrespective 
of  the  amount  of  money  he  has  invested.  Out  of  the  receipts  of  the  business,  the 
co-operative  factory  would  first  pay  all  expenses,  a  reasonable  sum  for  depreciation 
and  reserve,  a  fair  rate  of  interest  on  capital,  and  the  balance  would  be  divided  pro 
rata  on  the  beets  furnished,  just  as  the  co-operative  creamery  pays  for  butter.  If  the 
season  is  good,  the  beets  rich  in  sugar,  and  the  markets  favorable,  under  good  man- 
agement such  a  co-operative  factory  might  possibly  pay  more  than  one  conducted  by 
the  ordinary  system,  but  under  unfavorable  conditions,  the  loss  would  come  upon  the 
beet  grower  for  the  co-operative  factory,  as  against  the  stockholder  in  the  capitalistic 
factory.  In  other  words,  true  co-operation  means  that  the  co-operators  assume  the 
risk  of  the  losses  as  well  as  the  profits  of  the  business. 

If  farmers  are  willing  to  go  in  with  all  these  points  thoroughly  understood  and 
on  a  basis  that  will  insure  proper  management,  then  co-operative  sugar  factories  may 


136  THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

be  attempted.  To  embark  on  so  gigantic  a  scale  on  any  other  basis  is  folly  doomed 
to  failure.  The  whole  country  is  strewn  with  wrecks  of  co-operative  failures  due  to 
failure  to  appreciate  the  above  facts,  and  to  absence  of  the  co-operative  spirit.  On 
the  other  hand,  certain  forms  of  co-operation  have  been  made  a  great  success  in  the 
United  States.  The  author's  book,  How  to  Co-operate  (price  50c  in  paper,  $1  in 
•cloth,  from  Orange  Judd  Company),  may  be  consulted  for  further  particulars. 

BRILLIANT   OPENING  FOR  CAPITAL. 

Providing  always  that  the  American  market  is  reserved  for  the  product  of  Ameri- 
can farms  and  sugar  factories,  it  can  be  demonstrated  by  figures  based  on  actual 
experience  that  a  sugar  factory  enterprise  is  a  fairly  profitable  investment,  if  prop- 
erly managed  from  beginning  to  end.  Without  such  management,  even  a  gold  mine 
will  fail  to  pay. 

Detailed  estimates  of  expenses  and  profits  vary  so  widely  with  varying  conditions 
that  it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  submit  any  here.  Such  an  investment  in  a  beet-sugar 
factory,  under  the  above  conditions,  should  be  able  to  pay  an  annual  dividend  of  six 
to  ten  per  cent  on  its  capital  stock,  after  making  liberal  allowance  for  depreciation 
and  setting  aside  a  reserve  for  contingencies,  maintenance  and  improvements.  This 
is  after  the  enterprise  is  well  established.  The  first  few  years  it  might  not  do  as  well 
as  this.  Some  failures  will  occur  if  any  of  the  well-known  essentials  to  success  are 
neglected. 

Un  ier  favorable  conditions  the  industry  may  pay  more  than  this.  But  take  it 
one  year  with  another,  conservative  management  should  readily  divide  six  to  ten 
per  cent,  besides  keeping  the  property  in  such  shape  as  to  be  able  to  close  out  the 
business  at  any  time  and  return  the  shareholders  one  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar. 
To  do  this,  however,  the  factory  must  net  at  least  four  cents  per  pound  for  its  sugar 
and  with  proper  legislation  to  protect  against  subsidized  foreign  competition  and  to 
guard  the  industry  so  far  as  possible  against  monopoly  at  home,  this  price  may  be 
expected  to  prevail  for  some  years.  The  sugar  could  then  be  retailed  to  the  con- 
sumer at  about  present  prices,  and  American  farmers,  laborers  and  capitalists  would 
put  into  their  pockets  the  millions  upon  millions  that  now  go  abroad  for  sugar. 

Without  such  legislation,  however,  this  promise  will  never  be  realized.  We  have 
seen  during  the  past  three  years  the  almost  utter  ruin  of  our  old  established  cane- 
sugar  industry,  simply  because  the  American  market  has  been  open  to  free  sugar  from 
Hawaii  and  to  bounty-fed  sugars  from  Europe.  It  cannot  be  too  often  reiterated 
that  unless  the  American  market  is  reserved  for  American  sugar,  the  outlook  for  our 
domestic  sugar  industry,  both  beet  and  cane,  is  indeed  poor.  But  protect  the  indus- 
try in  the  American  market  for  a  few  years,  and  it  will  then  be  able  to  hold  its  own 
against  the  world.  Indeed,  we  shall  be  surprised  if  this  policy  does  not  make  Amer- 
ica the  greatest  sugar-producing  nation  on  earth. 

ADVANTAGES  OF  THE  INDUSTRY. 

Assuming  that  the  American  market  is  assured  for  American  sugar  (unless  this  is 
done,  we  might  as  well  drop  the  business  right  here  and  now),  the  advantages  of  the 
industry  may  be  thus  summarized  : 

To  agriculture,  it  affords  a  new  crop  that  puts  into  the  farmer's  pocket  money 
that  would  otherwise  go  out  of  his  community  and  out  of  the  country ;  by  thus  reduc- 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


137 


ing  the  area  of  other  crops,  it  helps  all  farm  values ;  the  beet  requires  good  farming 
and  is  an  educator  in  thrift  and  does  not  rob  the  soil. 

To  labor,  the  beet-sugar  industry  offers  a  new  field  for  employment  of  both  skilled 
and  unskilled  labor  of  all  ages,  and  pays   a  satis- 
factory price   for  it  in  money  that  would  other- 
wise go  out  of  the  community  and  out  of  the  coun- 
try. 

To  capital,  i«t  pays  a  fair  return  and  under 
proper  management  should  prove  an  absolutely 
safe  investment. 

To  other  industries,  the  beet-sugar  business 
contributes  largely.  It  builds  up  thriving  com- 
munities and  gives  new  life  to  other  industries. 
It  is  roughly  estimated  that  an  investment  of 
upward  of  three  hundred  million  dollars  would 
be  required  to  build  and  equip  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  factories  to  supply  the  American  market 
with  sugar,  which  vast  sum  would  be  distributed 
among  the  mining,  manufacturing,  building  and 
machinery  trades.  The  annual  expenditure  for 
labor  and  materials,  such  as  coal,  lime,  coke,  bag- 
ging, chemicals,  oils,  etc,  would  amount  to  mil- 
lions of  dollars. 

To  real  estate,  the  beet-sugar  industry  creates 
value.  Chino  ranch  lands  that  are  now  worth 
$100  to  §200  per  acre  were  hardly  salable  at  $80 
to  §60  per  acre  before  the  factory  was  located 
there.  Our  attention  has  been  called  to  a  tine 
tract  of  30,000  acres  of  land  in  California  which 
can  be  "quietly  bought  up  at  $30  per  acre  and 
after  a  factory  is  successfully  established  will  be 
worth  at  least  $100  per  acre."  We  consider  this  a 
conservative  statement. 


SOME   CAUTIONS  IX   THIS   INDUSTRY. 

No  one  state  has  a  monopoly  of  the  beet-sugar 
industry.  Some  Nebraska  farmers  have  an  idea 
that  the  business  will  be  confined  to  their  state 
because  it  has  two  factories  in  successful  opera- 
tion. Such  people  have  only  to  read  this  work 
to  be  convinced  of  their  error.  Moreover,  hun- 
dreds of  enterprising  communities  are  anxious 
many  of  these  will  doubtless  do  so. 

There  are  plenty  of  such  communities  in  a 
farmers  are  not  only  ready  and  eager  to  contract 


CROSS-SECTION   OF  A 
SUGAR    BEET. 

A  section  or  cutting  down  through  the 
middle,  showing  the  alternate  rings  or  cylin- 
ders of  compact  portions  and  those  more 
translucent,  the  former  containing  rather 
more  sugar,  and  the  latter  more  salts  and 
albuminoids.  The  lower  or  smaller  part  of 
the  beet  generally  has  a  larger  percentage  of 
sugar  than  the  larorer  upper  Dart.  Illustration 
reduced  from  Bulletin  27,  United  States  De- 
partment of  Agriculture. 

to  secure  beet-sugar  factories,  and 


dozen   or  twenty  states  where  the 
to  furnish  any  reasonable  quantity 


138  THE   SUGAR  INDUSTRY. 

of  beets  for  a  term  of  years  for  four  or  five  dollars  per  ton,  but  the  farmers,  business 
men  and  others  in  the  community  are  ready  to  put  up  their  money  to  build  and  equip 
the  sugar  factory.  So  soon  as  the  American  market  is  insured  for  American  sugar 
many  of  these  embryonic  efforts  will  take  on  definite  proportions. 

The  idea  prevails  among  some  people,  however,  that  sugar  factories  can  be  had 
for  the  asking.  Some  of  the  places  embraced  in  our  list  of  towns  that  want  sugar 
factories  seem  to  have  the  idea  that  to  be  put  "on  the  list,"  is  all  that  it  is  necessary 
for  them  to  do  to  secure  a  factory.  Nothing  could  be  further  from  the  truth.  It  is 
well  to  be  in  this  list,  so  that  any  interested  parties  may  communicate  with  you,  but 
if  you  think  you  can  sit  still  and  have  a  half-million-dollar  sugar  factory  for  the  ask- 
ing, you  are  very  much  mistaken.  Why?  Because,  as  stated  in  the  preceding  para- 
graph, hundreds  of  communities  that  do  not  believe  in  the  "sitting  still  policy,"  are 
making  determined  efforts  to  secure  factories. 

As  a  rule,  the  most  difficult  thing  has  been  to  get  the  farmers  to  understand  how 
necessary  it  is  to  prepare  the  soil  for  the  beet  crop.  If  the  land  is  at  all  hilly,  it 
should  be  scraped  down,  as  the  beet  field  should  be  as  level  as  possible.  Another 
difficulty  is  that  the  average  farmer  does  not  appreciate  the  necessity  of  care  and 
thoroughness  in  every  detail  with  the  crop.  In  raising  sugar  beets,  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  get  rid  of  the  idea  of  trying  to  save  necessary  labor.  The  crop  cannot 
be  slighted,  as  can  potatoes,  corn  or  small  grains. 

Another  error  which  farmers  in  the  older  beet-growing  regions  are  but  just  learn- 
ing to  avoid,  is  to  be  satisfied  with  a  reasonable  tonnage.  Too  much  manure  or  too 
much  irrigation  will  produce  beets  large  in  size  and  of  great  tonnage  per  acre,  but 
such  beets  are  often  late  in  ripening  and  usually  are  inferior  in  sugar  content  and' 
purity.  It  is  impossible  to  extract  sugar  from  beets  when  the  beets  do  not  contain 
the  sugar. 

Don't  try  to  utilize  old  buildings  for  a  sugar  factory.  A  factory,  to  operate 
profitably,  should  be  constructed  for  this  special  purpose,  so  as  to  save  every  possible 
item  of  expense.  It  might  be  possible  to  adapt  an  old  building  to  sugar-factory  pur- 
poses and  perhaps  save  a  few  thousand  dollars  in  first  cost,  but  in  nine  cases  out  of 
ten,  this  would  be  "saving  at  the  spigot  to  waste  at  the  bunghole."  The  increased 
expense  of  operating  such  a  plant,  owing  to  the  necessarily  inconvenient  arrangement 
of  the  outfit  and  work  to  adapt  it  to  the  structure,  would  rapidly  eat  up  the  saving  in 
first  cost  and  thereafter  would  be  a  constant  extra  expense. 

Neither  is  it  wise  to  bother  with  second-hand  machinery  or  apparatus,  unless  the 
same  is  comparatively  modern  and  strictly  adapted  to  the  purpose  in  view.  To  con- 
duct either  a  beet-sugar  factory  or  cane  sugarhouse  to  advantage,  the  latest,  best  and 
most  improved  outfits  only  can  be  employed.  This  is  what  your  competitors  have 
now  or  will  have,  and  you  cannot  expect  to  compete  with  them  with  anything  else. 
If  a  second-hand  outfit  is  offered  you,  be  sure  to  get  the  judgment  of  a  well-qualified 
expert,  like  Mr  Salich  for  instance,  before  doing  anything  with  it.  In  these  days, 
however,  such  investments  are  likely  to  be  unprofitable. 

It  may  be  that  in  the  eastern  and  middle  states,  where  the  soil  has  been  better 
cultivated  and  fertilizers  have  been  used,  that  the  land  requires  different  treatment 
than  at  the  west,  where  the  soil  has  received  little  culture  and  no  fertilizers.  Mr  Lap- 


THE   BEET   SUGAR   INDUSTRY.  139 

ham,  speaking  from  results  and  experience  in  Virginia,  would  in  no  wise  depart  from 
the  methods  that  have  been  best  in  Europe. 

Beets  should  never  be  raised  on  a  large  scale  by  any  grower  the  first  year,  unless 
he  is  willing  to  spend  a  large  amount  of  money  and  does  not  consider  the  loss,  if  any 
occurs.  For  the  average  western  farmer  it  would  be  advisable  not  to  raise  more  than 
three  acres  the  first  year,  and  every  beet  grower  should  make  it  his  rule  to  follow 
the  advice  given  by  the  factory  as  near  as  possible,  and  leave  his  experiments  until 
the  second  season. 

Look  out  for  the  promoter  or  grower  who  "knows  it  all."     The  more  experience 
sensible  men  have  in  field  or  factory,  the  more  they  find  there  is  to  learn. 

One  of  the  greatest  needs  in  the  American  sugar  industry,  is  for  scientific  and 
practical  experts  to  manage  the  large  number  of  factories   required   to   produce   the 
sugar  this  country  consumes.     To  supply  this  need,  one  or  more  sugar  schools  should 
be  established  by  government  in  connection  with  sugar  factories.     It  is  by  such  tech 
nical  education  that  Germany  has  developed  the  industry  so  rapidly  and  successfully. 

Another  great  need  is  more  definite  knowledge  about  the  culture  of  beets.  Much 
can  be  done  at  all  of  our  experiment  stations.  The  various  states  in  which  this 
industry  is  developing  should  also  offer  prizes  for  the  best  results  in  beet-sugar  cul- 
ture, to  the  farmers  producing  them  for  factories.  The  prizes  should  be  governed 
not  only  by  yield  and  quality,  but  by  the  intelligence  and  correctness  with  which  an 
account  is  given  of  the  methods  of  culture,  expense  of  production,  etc.  There  is  a 
loud  cull  for  accurate  data  on  all  these  points.  This  book  is  an  effort  to  supply  this 
demand,  but  circumstances  in  different  sections  vary  so  widely  that  much  must  be 
done  in  each  state,  and  in  different  parts  of  each  state,  to  get  at  exact  facts  and  best 
practice. 

No  factory  enterprise  should  expect  to  make  money  during  its  first  two  years, 
There  is  always  much  educational  work  to  perform  of  a  costly  nature,  although  much 
of  this  work  has  been  done  by  existing  factories. 

A  gentleman  who  has  had  long  and  costly  experience  in  this  industry  and  with 
sugar  factories  writes  us  privately,  regarding  factory  enterprises:  "Avoid  jumping  to 
conclusions;  take  plenty  of  time  in  studying  up  the  question  of  where  to  locate,  espe- 
cially guarding  that  which  is  most  important, — an  abundant  supply  of  raw  material;  a 
good  supply  of  water ;  good  fuel,  lime  rock  and  coke  at  a  reasonable  cost;  railroad 
facilities,  and  where  you  are  to  market  the  product  of  your  factory,  making  a  long- 
time contract  with  your  railroads,  on  sugar  out  and  material  in,  especially  beets. 
Always  select  a  place  where  the  beets  can  be  grown  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
factory,  and  never  attempt  to  build  a  poor  factory,  or  any  at  all,  unless  you  have 
abundant  capital  to  see  you  through  the  first  few  years,  which  are  always  largely 
expeiimental.  Secure  the  best  possible  talent.  A  cheap  superintendent  is  one  of  the 
gravest  mistakes.  A  year  can  be  well  spent  in  investigating  before  starting  such  an 
enterprise.  The  great  thing  to  be  guarded  against  is,  that  people  who  have  neither 
money  nor  experience  in  the  business  will  become  promoters  and  that  factories  will- 
be  put  up  that  must  fail." 

We  hope  there  will  be  no  attempt  to  overdo  this  business.  The  over-booming, 
over-promoting  and  over-financiering  of  railroads  and  similar  schemes  in  the  west; 


140 


THE   SUGAE   INDUSTRY. 


ten  and  twenty  years  ago,  that  did  much  to  bring  on  the  depression  from  which  the 
country  is  now  happily  recovering,  should  be  avoided  in  this  sugar  industry.  Let  us 
keep  the  whole  thing  down  to  hard  pern  basis,  so  that  every  step  taken  will  be  a  dis- 
tinct gain,  and  the  whole  industry  developed  on  a  substantial,  businesslike  and  per- 
manently successful  basis.  To  this  end,  the  author  contributes  the  present  book. 
He  invites  correspondence  as  to  every  point  not  sufficiently  covered  herein,  that  the 
deficiency  may  be  made  up  in  a  later  edition. 


COMMUNITIES  THAT  WANT  SUGAR  FACTORIES. 


Postoffice 

County 

Nauie 

Postoffice 

County 

Name 

ARIZONA. 

ILLINOIS    (CONTINUED). 

Phoenix 

Maricopa 

W.  S.  Devol 

Mulkeytown 

Franklin 

Scott  Clark 

ARKANSAS. 

Havana 

Mason 

E.  A.  Wallace 

Olyphant 
Fort  Smith 
Fort  Smith 
Rogers 

Jackson 
Sebastian 
Sebastian 
Benton 

C.  E.  Frizzell 
H.  H.  Hoover 
S.  A.  Williams 
H.  B.     Woodcock 

BuffaloGrove 
Polo 
Ottawa  , 
McHenry 
Pitts  field 

Lake 
Ogle 
Lasalle 
McHenry 
Pike 

J.Weidner&  Sous 
J.  N.   San  bom 
I.  B.    Lovejoy 
J.    Van  Slyke 
F.    L.  Schriver 

CALIFORNIA 

Jersey  ville 

Jersey 

A.   W.    Cross 

Chino 

San  Bernardino  Valley  Sugar    Co 

Metropolis 

Massac 

A.  N.  Starkes 

Vacaville 

Solano 

E.  G.  Davis 

City 

Napa 

Napa 

C.   L.  James 

Morrison 

Whiteside 

E.  A.  Smith 

Wheatland 

Yuba 

E.   E.  Oakley 

G  ales  burg 

Kiiox 

Robert  Chappel 

Chico 

Butte 

J.  McStilson 

Erh'ngham 

Ertingham 

William  Dyke 

Salinas 

Monterey 

James  Bardin 

INDIANA. 

Fulton 

Sonoma 

A.  Bannister 

Fort;  Wayne 

Allen 

S.  Bash  &  Co 

Grid  ley 

Butte 

L    K.  Vaugham 

Bluff  ton 

Wells 

L.  A.   Williams 

COLORADO. 

Wabash 

Wabash 

S.  Haas 

Mosca 

Costilla 

J.  R.  Patterson 

Columbia 

Favette 

J.  M.  Harrison 

Rhone 

Mesa 

Henry  R.    Rhone 

Ciiy 

Pueblo 

Pueblo 

Suburban  Land  & 
Investment  Co 

Monroeville 
Aurora 

Allen 
Dearborn 

W.  Dickerson 
J.  Small 

Denver 

Arapahoe 

Lute  Wilcox 

Monroeville 

Allen 

N.    R.    Spaulding 

La  Salle 

Weld 

R.   W.  Devinny 

Blufftown 

Wells 

W.  K.  Shoemaker 

Logansport 

Cass 

J.  H.  Barnbait 

CONNECTICUT. 

Elwood 

Madison 

W.  E.  Broyles 

Naugatuck 

New  Haven 

F.  H.  King 

Land 

Whittey 

Lewis  Deems 

FLORIDA. 

Dana 

Vermilion 

W.  B.  Hood 

Zionsville 

Boone 

J.  W.  Lane 

De    .runiak 

Walton 

S.  E.  Wolf 

Owensville 

Gibson 

Levi    Skelton 

Springs 
Ocoee 
Auburndale 

Orange 
Polk 

T.  L.  Joyce 
Irvine  Page 

Francesville 
New  Har- 

Pulaski 
Posey 

W.  Benson 
F.  Mumford 

St  Cloud 

Osceola 

Col  Allen  Thomas 

mony 
Morocco 

Newton 

J.  M.    Rogers 

IDAHO. 

Fort  Wayne 

Allen 

H.  C.  Rockhill 

Payette 

Canyon 

Eugene  Autz 

Liberty 

Montgomery 

Ben  Snvder 

Leduc 

Blaine 

P.  Leduc 

Madison 

Jefferson 

C.  E.  Cosby 

ILLINOIS. 

Evansville 

Vanderburg 

C.  Cordes 

Alma 
Monterey 
Litchrield 
Niota 
Milford 
Mt  Carrael 

Marion 
Fulton 
Montgomery 
Hancock 
Iroquois 
Wabash 

W.  S.  Ross 
D.  W.  Kelsey 
R.  S.  Nelson 
Jacob  Zeh 
I.  D.  Gillum 
W.  H.  Wildey 

Delphi 
Newcastle 
Lowell 
Columbus 
Seymour 
Vincennes 

Carroll 
Henry 
Lake 
Bartholomew 
Jackson 
Knox 

V.  L.  Ricketts 
A.  D.  Ogborn 
J.    Dinwiddie 
W.  T.  Stott 
J.  H.  Hodapp 
Edward    Watson 

Chemung 

McHenry 

Joseph  Kuhby 

IOWA. 

Forest.  City 

Mason 

A.  D.   Brown 

Gr'd  Junct'n 

Greene 

Mrs  C.  D.  Park 

Monmouth 

Warren 

C.  E.  Cornell 

Wapello 

Louisa 

W.  S.  Kremer 

Ottawa 
Kankakee 
Momence 

Lasalle 
Kankakee 
Kankakee 

C.  E.  Fishex 
Leon  Hay 
Will  Lewis 

Diagonal 
Fontanelle 
Schaller 

Ringgold 
Adair 
Sac 

O.  B.  Overholser 
F.   M.  Daugherty 
E.  W.  Bennett 

Chemung 

McHenry 

Joseph  Kuhler 

Newell 

Buena  Vista 

J.  Jenson 

N^koma 

Henry 

Robert  Lapan             Spencer 

Clay 

J.  C.  Winset 

THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


Postoffice              County                       Name 

Postoffice              County                       Name 

IOWA  (CONTINUED). 

MICHIGAN  (CONTINUED). 

Greene             Butler                 E.  H.  Beal 

Charlotte          Eaton                   G.  M.  Feun 

Ames                 Story                   James  Wilson 

Cranston          Oceana                E.  Morrissey 

Dubuque          Dubiique            M.  H.  Moore 

Port  Huron     St  Clair               L.  B.   Rice 

Davenport       Scott                    Bus's  Men's  As'n 

Milliugton      Tuscola               W.  J.  Haines 

^Clinton             Clinton               S.  M.    Highlands 

Yale                   St  Clair              J.  H.   Merrill 

Charles  City  Floyd                   J.  W.  Brown 

Chevington      Sanilac               S.  A.   Hillman 

Fort  Dodge     Webster              J.  B.  Butler 

Dearborn         Wayne                 W.  H.   Manwell 

>»Muscatine        Museatine          W.    G.    Block 

Roseburg          Sanilac  .             J.  Aver 

Waterloo          Biackhawk        C.  P.  Bratnober 

Kalamazoo      Kalamazoo         J.  E.  Welborn 

Mason  City      Cerro  Gordo      G.  C.  Winter 

White  Cloud  Newaygo             M.   D.    Haywoo 

Britt                  Hancock             Dr  A.  J.  Cole 
Keokuk            Lee                       Arthur  H.  Moody 

^CSor          Be'rien              F.R.Gilson 

Casev                Guthrie               G.   W.  Osgood 

Port  Huion     St  Clair               L.  A.  Siierman 

Waukon            Allamakee          H.   E.  Teeple 

St  Ignace        Mackinac            C.  G.  Cavanagh 

Primghar         O'Brien               J.  H.  Wolf 

Alpena             Alpena                 W.  T.  Sleator 

Le  Mars            Plymouth            G.  E.  Richardson 

Mt  Pleasant    Isabella               W.  E.   Preston 

Des  Moines    Polk                     A.  H.  Meyer 

Hart                  Oceana                J.  D.  S.    Hanso 

Sidney              Fremont             J.  R.  McKee 

Lapeer              Lapeer                 S.  D.  Brown 

KANSAS. 

Clare                 Clare                    L.  E.  Davy 

Humboldt       Allen                   J.  J.  Amos 
N'th  Wichita  Sedgwick            S.  F.  Toler 
Indep'nd'uce  Montgomery      Mrs  A.  B.    Clark 

Detroit             Wayne                 MiltonCarmichae 
Kalkaska         Kalkaska            A.  E.   Palmer 
Grayling          Crawford             R.  Hanson 
Traverse  City  G  rand  TraverseTnomas  T.  Batt 

Topeka           Shawnee                 ^rus^l^o 

Marshal            Calhoun               W.  J.  Gregg 

Irving               Marshall             Grant  Ewing 
Ellinwood       Barton                 C.  Kattenholin 
Oketo                Marshall             C.  M.  Knight 
North  TopekaShuwnee            W.  E.  Clark 
Topeka             Shawnee             F.  D.  Coburn 
Paola                Miami                 E.  T.  Ahrens 
lola                  Allen                  C.  F.  Scott 
Rosedale          Wyaudotte          Henry  Senecal 
Leoti                 Wichita               J.  G.  Donneil 
Saliiia               Saline                  L.  A.  Will 

Ovid                  Clinton                WT.  H.   Faxon 
Ashton             Osceola               Wilson  Showalte 
Pierson             Moutcalin           M.     H.    Holcom 
Northville        Wayne                 Morris  Lancastt 
Mancelona       Antrim                Geo  Irwin 
Durand             Shawassee          H.  D.   Soule 
Shabbona         Sanilac                David  Leslie 
Gales  burg        Kalamazoo         James  H.  Wolf 
Clinton             Lenawee             A.  T.   Kishpaug 
Nadeau             Menominee        G.  T.   Werline 
Willis                Washtenow        C.  E.  Lord 

KENTUCKY. 

Pigeon              Huron                  A.    Kleinschmi( 

Lexington        Fayette               B.  M.  Cole 
Hopkinsville  Christian           T.  E.  Elgin 

Newaygo          Newaygo             Will  Courtright 
Gay  lord            Otsego                  Charles  Wyllys 

Valley  St'n     Jefferson             W.  W.    Moremen 
Morganfield    Union                  C.  F.  Hart 
Carrollton       Carroll                 O.  M.  Wood 

SaSUainteeMarie  Chippewa        William  ChandK 
Cheboygan      Cheboygan         E.  O.  Penney 

Warsaw             Gallatin              D.  B.    Wallace 

Saginaw           Saginaw              R.  F.  Johnson 

Hartford          Ohio                     S.    A.    Anderson 

MINNESOTA. 

Cloverport       Breckinridge     John  D.  Baggage 
Jackson           Breatkitt            T.  M.  Morrow 

Rush  City        Chisago              P.  A.  Stevens 
Fanbault         Rice                     O.  F.  Brand 

LOUISIANA. 

Winona             Winona               Max  A.  Goltz 

New  Iberia     Iberia                 J.  T.  White 
Schriever         Terrebonne        J.  T.  Moore,  Jr 
Crowley           Acadia                John  P.  Hoyt 

Madison           Lac  Qui  Parle  P.  K.  Haslernd 
Stockton          Wiuona                J.  A.  Moore,  Sr 
Madison.          Lac  Qui  Parle  J.  H.  Guenther 
Dawson            Lac  Qui  Parle  A.  J.  Peterson 

MAINE. 

Hinckley         Pine                      J.  J.   Folsom 

^Harbof      Hancock               J-   H-  Armstrong 

Chaska             Carver                 F.  E.  Du  Toit 
St  James          W'atonwan          F.  B.  Lynch 

Waldoboro       Lincoln              W.  H.  Levensaler 

Winona             \Vinona               F.  L.  Randall 

Saco                  York                   C.   H.  Tuxbury 

Northfield        Rice                     John  Lawson 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

Cloquet             Carlton                Fred  Vilbert 

Springh'eld      Hampden           Nathan  D.  Bill 
Shirley      Vil- 
lage              Middlesex          B.  S.  Binney 

Winona             Winona               W.  E.   Walker 
Belle  Plaine   Scott.                    Peter  Becker 
Aitken             Aitken                 B.  M.Hungerfoi 
Boyd                 Lac  Qui  Parle  E.   P.   Johnson 

MICHIGAN. 

Worthington  Nobles                 C.  M.   Crandall 

Niles                 Berrien               J.  T.  Barker 

MISSISSIPPI. 

Oak                    Wayne                J.  C.  Jackson 
New  Era          Oceana                J.     E.     Farnham 

Natchez           Adams                 C.  B    Brownell 

Fenton              Genesee              F.    A.    Bosworth 

MISSOURI. 

Wrhite  Cloud    Newaygo            W.  E.    Fulkersou 

Marceline        Linn                    S.  H.  Linton 

Petoskey          Emmet                A.  O.  Jenne 

Maltbend         Saline                  H.  F.  Knapp 

Port  Huron    St  Clair               Cyrus  Hovey 

Bucklin            LJnn                     R.  K.  Kinney 

Capac               St  Clair              S.  C.  Draper 

WTest  Alton      St  Charles          P.  A.     Edalin 

Mt  Pleasant    Isabella             T.  P.  Collin 

Ballwin           St  Louis             E.  L.  Kern 

14^                                                             THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 

Postoffice             County                        Name 

Postqffice             County                        Name 

MISSOURI  (CONTINUED). 

NEW  YORK  (CONTINUED). 

Kirksville       Adair                  W.  T.  Baird 

New  York        New  York          M.  Griffith  &  Co 

Canton             Lewis                  C.  W.  Barrett 

Fonda              Montgomery      J.  H.  Beareroft 

.Clinton             Henry                 Commercial  CJub 

Couleskill        Schoharie           A.  B.  Borst 

iloirtgomery    ]\jontgomery  Dr'C.  B.  Faulcouer 

E  Sohuyler     Herkimer           Juo  Collins,  Jr 
Nichols            Tioga                  G.  A.  Ingersoll 

Boonville        Cooper                John  M.  Humber 

Burnt  Hills    Saratoga              S.  Russell   Jones 

Evans  Mills    Jefferson             Jerome    Hibbard 

MONTANA. 

Lyons  Falls    Lewis                  C.  C.  Merriam 

Great  Falls     Cascade              G.  A.  Gray 
Missoula          Missoula              Verdie  Spurgin 

Fairport           Monroe     ,          J.  McMillan 
Sterling            Cayuga                J.  E.    McFadden 

NEBRASKA. 

North  Chili     Monroe               G.  A.  Osmun 

Indiarola        Red  willow         G.  B.  Smith 
Lincoln            Lancaster          M.    R.   Moret 

Oswego             Oswego               Byron  VVordeu 
Red  Hook        Dutchess            J.  A.  Fraleigh 

York                 York                    L.    M.  Street 

Phelps              Ontario               W.  H.  Hicks 

Wakefield        Dixon                  S.   P.  Johnson 

Ridgeland    .    Monroe               Lewis  Curtis 

Ord                    Valley                 T.  S.  Harris 

Ithaca               Tompkins           I.  P.  Roberts 

Wayne               Wayne                 F.  M.  Northrop 
Dorchester      Saline                  Frank  Hoop 

Batavia            Genesee              David  B.  Lent 
Morrisville      Madison              John  Reidy 

Callaway          Custer                 J.  Reinhard 

Watertown      Jefferson             Ed  The  Times 

Suntiotter        Scotts  Bluff        C.  H.      Simmons 

Potsdam          St  Lawrence       E.     J.    Eastman 

Ainsworth       Brown                  C.     W.  Potter 

Binghampton  Broome              E.  F.  Jones 

•  Omaha             Douglas               Sec  S  Beet  Ass  n 

Falconer           Chatauqua          A.  D.   Warren 

Auburn             Nemaha              W.  H.  Stowell 

Trumasburg    Tompkins           E.  A.  Hawks 

Wayne               Wayne                 F.    A.    Uearborn 

Texas  Valley  Cortland             Elehue  Sweet 

\V  Attni  11  & 

Clinton             Oneida                 J.  H.   Dodge 

Water             Cass                    A'  ^  Timblin 

Collins              Erie                       F.  J.   Quigley 

.Gibbon             Buffalo                C.  H.  Winchester 

Erin                  Chemung            Leon  E.  Good  rich 

Redcloud         Webster               W.  L.   McMillan 

Amityville      Suffolk                T.   VV.  C.    DePuy 

Schuyler           Colfax                 J.  P.  McCullough 
Brokenbow      Custer                 E.  B.  Purcell 

Wells  Bridge  Otsego                 A.  D.  Bunch 
Poolville          Madison             G.  M.  Bronson 

Neligh              Antelope            E.T.  &  C.  J.  Best 

Yates                 Orleans               E.  H.  Parsons 

Dorp                 Logan                  Charles  W.Parker 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

Binghampton  Broome               I.  E.  Rogers 
Afton                Chenaugo           Geo  B.Burglidorf 
Lewis               Essex                   R.  T.  Moran 

Wolfborough   Carroll                 S.  Brummitt 

Brookfield       Madison             M.  L.  Fisk 

NEW   JERSEY. 

East  Elma       Erie                      Mrs  Jas  Hopper 

Annandale      Hunterdon         M.  F.  Gand 

Unionsville     Orange                Clevel'd  Cider  Co 

Hainesburg     Warren                E.  O.  Ward 

Johnston          Orange                Isaiah  Yarmey 

Stanton             Hunterdon         Frank  Bird 

NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Passaic             Passaic                D.  Hepburn 
.Glen  Gardner  Hunterdon        S.  F.  Bell 

Sidney              Beaufort             VV.  N.  Archbell 

High  Bridge  Hunterdon         J.  H.    Exton 

NORTH   DAKOTA. 

Blaokwood      Cainden              Charles  F.  Currie 

Bismarck         Burleigh             J.  A.  Field 

NEW  MEXICO. 

Hawkinson    Richland             R.  A.  Tyson 

Sante  Fe          Santa  Fe             S.  M.  Folsora 

Larimore         Grand  Forks     T.  C.  Bruyere 

Las  Cruces       Donen  Ana       F.  C.  Barker 

Devils  Lake    Ramsey              Wm  H.  Brown 

Maxwell  CityColfax                 E.  S.  Warren 

Mandan            Morton                R.  M.  Tuttle 

n  ,,                     Maxwell        Land 

Lisbon              Ransom               R.  T.  Adams 

.  Raton               Colfax                    Graut  Co 

OHIO. 

NEW  YORK. 

Canton             Stark                  H.  A.  Cavnah 

McLean           Tompkins           B.  L.    Robertson 

Caledonia        Marion               L.  J.   Russell 

Lansingville    Tompkius           W.  J.  Eminons 

Prospect          Marion               E.    G.    Stockman 

Schodack        -r>           i,                J.  W.  Knicker- 

BloomingbuigFayette             L.  Eggleston 

Landing                                          bocker 

Covington       Miami                 Z.  F.  Albaugh 

Brainard          Rensselaer         J.  D.    Tompkins 

Napoleon         Henry                 J.  C.  Davis 

Bennettsville  Chenango           E.    C.  Ward 

Gr'd  Rapids   Wood                   J.  Huffman 

Potsdam           St  Lawrence      Harry  H.  Fay 

Defiance           Defiance            J.  O.  VVissler 

Earlville          Madison             G.  H.  Clark 

Dunkirk           Hardin                D.  F.  Fryer 

Bondville        Montgomery      L.  W.  Griswold 

Chillecothe      Ross                    James  A.  Wood 

Akin                 Montgomery      J.  K.  Mosher 

Mad  River     Clark                    C.  B.   Grain 

Union               Broome              E.    K.    Mersereau 

New  Phila-      rr,lcnQr.TOQa    J  S.  F.  Sweitzer 

Falconer          Chautauqua        M.  A.  Seal> 
Westbury          Cayuga               J.  M.    Shot'well 

delphia,         Tuscarawas    j  Dr  H    Troendly 
Cleveland        Cavahoga          J.  F.  Kilby 

Alabama          Genesee              H.  J.    Williams 

Hillsboro        Highland           W.  G.  Richards 

Newark             Wayne                 P.  W.Stuart  &  Co 

Quincy            Logan                  J.  M.    Sullivan 

W  Henrietta    Monroe               W.  S.  Dunn 

Smithville       Wayne                J.    W.    Buchanan 

Middlebury     Schoharie           W.  E.  Bassler 
r.Stockton          Chautauqua        P.  M.  Elmer 

Delta                 Fulton               ^SSSSn  ****  & 

.Gloversfield     Fulton                 W.  H.  Warren 

Wauseon           Fulton                 F.  H.  Kelsey 

Port  Byron      Cayuga               S.  D.  Gutchess 

Herring           Allen                    E.  L.  Lurbin 

.THE   SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


143 


Postoffice             County                        Name 

Postoffice             County                        Name 

OHIO  (CONTINUED). 

TEXAS. 

Urbana            Champaign        J.  Harlzter 

Gainesville     Cooke                  F.  A.  Galigher 

Coshocton        Coshocton          W.  Burns 

Sugar  Land     Fort  Bend          Col  Cunningham 

Danburv          Ottawa                 H.  Bredbeck 

Crockett           Houston             W.  C.   Lipscomb 

N  Bavaria       Henry                  J.  A.  L.    Derr 

Howe               Grayson             Mrs  H.  Pomeroy 

Antwerp          Paulding             W.  F.  Fleck 

Clyde                Sandusky           H.  G.   Gibbons 
Leipsic             Putnam               J.  A.  Huminon 
Pleasant  Hill  Miami                   Nathan  Hill 

UTAH. 

Logan              Foster                 Luther  Foster 
S'ltLake  CtySalt  Lake           E.  G.  Rognon 

Brunswick      Medina                Anton  Leister 

Riverton          Salt  Lake            T.  P.  Page 

Utica                Licking               W.  W.    Reynolds 
GrandRapids  Wood                    Azor  Thurston 

Leamington    Millard               B.  P.  Textorius 
Hooper            Weber                 R.  C.  Christensen 

Granville        Licking              W.    H.    Williams 

VIRGINIA. 

Akron               Summit               F.  A.  W7ilcox 
Canal  Dover  Tuscarawas        J.  A.  Wagner 
Crestou             Wayne                 J.  South 
Ravenna          Portage               J.  H.  Evans 
•Sandusky        Erie                      J.  Jarecki,  Jr 
Crayon              Champaign        B.  F.  Long 
Delta                Fulton                M.  S.  Sargeant 

Springville     Utah                    J.  M.     Westwood 
Riverton          Warren                R.  McCoy 
Buena  Vista  Rockbridge        A.  T.  Barclay 
City  Point       Prince  George  R.  Eppes 
Staunton          Augusta              O.  K.  Lapham 
Emporia           Greenville          H.  W.  Weiss 
Richmond        Henrico              R.    A.  Dunlop 

Udusk  San'      Wyandot            S.  A.  Cunea 

Irvington        Lancaster          W.  McDonald  Lee 

Paulding          Paulding            J.  R.  Ross 

WASHINGTON. 

Medina             Medina                F.  H.  Leach 

Spokane          Spokane             F.    E.  Elmendorf 

Bucyrus           Crawford            Ev'n'g  Telegraph 

Whitman          Whitman             F.  A.    English 

Deshler            Henry                 J.  C.  H.  Elder 

Pasco                Franklin            A.  A.    Batcheller 

Flushing          Belmont              James  Parks 

Touchet          Wallawalla         A.  Farnsworth 

Jerome             Union                  H.  Riebel 

Waupaca          Waupaca            G.    W.  Ogden 

Middle 

Juno                 Chehalis             J.  D.  Schaefer 

Branch          Stark                    F.  E.  Immel 

WEST  VIRGINIA. 

Madisonburg  Wayne                 B.  A.  Hoffman 
Columbiana    Columbiana       Albert  Sample 

Alderson          Monroe               H.  T.  Houston 
Wolf  Creek      Monroe      ,         G.  T.  Leatherman 

OKLAHOMA. 

Old  Fields       Hardy                  A.  L.  Miller 

Pawnee            Pawnee              H.E.  Hollings- 

Clarksburg      Harrison            T.  Patton 

worth 

Berryville        Kenosha             W.  Braid 

OREGON. 

Huntington    Cabell                 A.  J.  Beardsley 

Forest  Grove  Washington        A.  Buxton 

WISCONSIN. 

Corvallis          Bentou               L.    Walker 
Newberg           Yamhill               F.  A.  Morris 
Portland          Multuomah        G.  W.  McCoy 
Lebanon          Linn                     J.  S.  Hughes 
Myrtle  Creek  Douglas              P.  T.  McGee 
Monitor           Marion                J.  R.  White 
Oakland           Douglas              O.  G.  Estes 
Knappa            Clatsop                C.  Borglund 
Myrtle  Creek  Douglas              Henry  Trower 

Waupaca          Waupaca             Frank  Gruner 
Scandinavia    Waupaca            C.    H.    Anderson 
Cedarburg       Ozankee             T.  Halpin 
Evansville      Rock                   H.  L.  Austin 
Augusta           Eau  Claire          E.  J.  Frear 
Brillion            Calumet              E.  G.  Fuller 
New  Holstein  Calumet             A.  A.  Paulsen 
Black  Wolf      Winnebago         C.  F.  Hart 
Markesau         Green  Lake      W.  T.  Robinson 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

Salem               Kenosha              E.    N.  Ripley 

New  Castle      Lawrence         J.  A.  Thayer 

Barnum            Crawford            J.    M.    Brownlee 

Lancaster        Lancaster           J.  Bosler,  Jr 

Schofield         Marathon           T.  W.  Clark 

Roland             Center                 H.  R.  Curtin 

Burnett  S't'n  Dodge                  H.Lawrence 

Falls  Creek    Clearfield           Amos  Goss 

Trevor             Kenosha             J.  M.  Orbis 

Salem               Snyder                C.  Miller 

Stoughton        Dane                    O.  J.  Olson 

'Wetona             Bradford             D.  Tracy 

Bear  Creek      Outagamie        J.  J.    Weid 

Prichard           Luzerne              W.  W.    Prichard 

Winchester      Winnebago         O.  H.  Hanson 

Gregory           Luzerne               R.  A.  Van   Horn 

Merrillan         Jackson               W.  A.  Marr 

Penus  Manor  Bucks                  A.  R.  Ellis 

Madison           Dane                    W.  A.  Henry 

Meadville        Crawford            A.  W.  Williams 

Neilsville        Clark                   L.  B.  Ring 

Coplay              Lehigh                D.  H.  Kline 

Arkansaw        Pepin                   Fred  Pittman 

Littletown      Adams                D.  B.  Alleman 

Durand             Pepin                   Ingram  &    Good- 

Butler             Butler                 I.  McJurikin 

rich 

New  BrightonBeaver                R.  McLaughlin 

Beaverdam      Dodge                 H.  R.  Hawley 

Lanesboro       Susquehanna     J.  A.  Taylor 

Merrillan         Jackson              R.  H.  Gile 

SOUTH  DAKOTA. 

Marinette         Marinette           W.  C.   Campbell 

Mitchell           Davison               Frank  Weller 
Yankton            Yankton            J.  W.  Hanson 

Barren             Barren                 C.  C.  Coe 
Kewaunee       Kewaunee         A.  C.   Voshart 
Sumner            Jefferson             Walter  Marsden 

TENNESSEE. 

Manawa           Waupaca             Jas  Flanagan 

Chattanooga  Hamilton           S.  W.   Divine 

Oz£ml?G6               Cr6O  H«  Crowns 

Greenfield        Weakley             T.  C.  Phillips 

Nashville        Davidson           Co]reJw  B'    Kille' 

WYOMING. 

Cheyenne       Larainie             Elwood  Mead 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Adeline  plantation, 26 

Adjustable  beet  seeder, 85 

Allen,  Pres.  R.  M., ..,. 43 

Alvarado  factory, 33,  109, 133 

Arrangement  sugar  factory, 37 

Boiler  room, 9 

Caffery  plant, 5 

California  factories,  9,  15,  30,  33, 37, 42, 45, 47, 109 

Cane  stubble  digger, 27 

Chino  boiler  room, : 9 

Chino  evaporators, 42 

Chino  factory, 45 

Chino  lime  kilns, 47 

Combination  planter  and  cultivator, 87 

Cross  section  of  beet, , .  76, 137 

Cultivator  for  cane, 27 

Cultivators, 94,  97,  99 

Cutting  cane, 18 

Delver  for  subsoil, 125 

Diffusion  batteries, 69 

Diffusion  cells, 51 

Engine  room  at  Lehi, 63,  65 

Evan  Hall  plantation, 21,  25 

Evaporators  at  Chino, 42 

Farwell,  Chas.  A., 19 

Field  of  beets, 72, 129- 

Filter  presses  at  Lehi 67 

Florida  sugar  plantation, 23 

Frontispiece,  charts  I,  II,  III. 

Gang  plow, 79 

Good  beets, 75,  77 

Grand  Island  factory, 53,  55 

Harvesting  scene, 101 

Harvester,  with  topping  arrangement, 107 

Harvester,  out  of  date, 140 

Hoeing  and  thinning, 93 

Horse  hoe, 91 

Interior  sugar  factory, 30 

Lehi  factory, 35,  57,  65,  67,  111 

Lime  kilns, 47 


Location  Nebraska  factories, 56 

Los  Alamitos  factory, 37 

Louisiana  sugar  field, 18 

Louisiana  sugarhouse, 5,  21,  26 

Map  Eastern  Nebraska, 56 

Mature  beet, 103 

Meiiomonee  Falls  factory, 1, 115 

Mother  beets, 32 

Nebraska  sugar  beets, 16,  75,  77, 103,  129 

Nebraska  factories, 39,  49,  51,  53,  55 

Negro  quarters, 25 

New  Mexico  factory, 59 

Nebraska  silo, 113 

Norfolk  factory, 39,  49,  51 

Oxnard,  Henry  T., 31 

Pecos  Valley  factory, 59 

Pecos  Valley  beet  field, 72 

Pile  of  beets  at  Alvarado, 133 

Plants, 87,  89 

Poor  beets, 75,  77 

Puller, 105 

Ready  for  beet  harvest, 101 

Receiving  beets  at  Alvarado, 109 

Seeder, 85,  87 

Shipping  beets, 39 

Silos ....,' 113,  117 

Sluiceway  at  Alvarado, 133 

Smoother  for  beet  land, 123 

Storage  sheds, Ill 

Storing  beets  in  Wisconsin, 115 

Subsoil  plows,  -% 79,  83 

Typical  sugar  beet, 32 

Utah  sugar  factory, 30,  57,  63,  65,  67, 104 

Vacuum  pan, 28 

Walking  beet  puller, 105 

Watsonville  factory, 13 

Weeding  beets, 95 

Wisconsin  beet  field, 81 

Wisconsin  factory, 61 

Wisconsin  silo, 117 


ANNOUNCEMENT. 


We  learn  from  reliable  sources  that  The  Oxnard  Sugar  Construction  and 
Development  Company  is  to  be  incorporated,  to  devote  itself  to  the  developing* 
of  the  sugar  growing  and  producing  industry  in  this  country.  The  officers  of 
this  Company  will  be: — 

HENRY  T.  OXNARD,  President, 

JAMES  G.  HAMILTON,  Vice  President, 

W.  BAYARD  CUTTING,  Treasurer 

S.  D.  Schenck,  Secretary, 

WILHELM  BAUR,  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  Consulting  Engineer. 

This  Company  will  have  its  headquarters  in  West  Virginia,  and  will 
commence  business,  if  we  are  informed  correctly,  in  the  early  part  of  Way, 
having  a  branch  office  in  New  York  City,  at  32  Nassau  street.  The  aim  of  the 
Company  will  be  to  assist  in  every  way  the  development  of  the  sugar  industry 
in  this  country.  It  will  establish  various  departments,  such  as  an  agricultural 
department,  and  a  construction  department.  These  departments  will  thoroughly 
investigate  questions  of  climate  and  soil  and  will  give  directions  in  growing 
beets,  cane,  etc.,  etc.  Testing  beets,  water,  soil  and  all  supplies  necessary  for 
the  process  of  sugar  making,  the  investigations  will  be  made  by  expert  agricul- 
turists familiar  with  the  raising  of  sugar  plants  in  this  country.  The  construc- 
tion department  will  propose  to  undertake  the  entire  building  of  factories  com- 
plete in  every  respect,  and  will  be  prepared  to  guarantee  their  capacity.  This 
Company  expects  to  be  able  to  undertake  the  full  equipment  of  a  newly  built 
factory  with  the  necessary  officers  and  men,  and  run  the  factory,  if  desired,  for 
the  first  year. 

It  will  be  a  headquarters  of  general  information,  and  will  invite  consulta- 
tion on  all  questions  concerning  the  industry.  We  congratulate  our  country, 
and  especially  our  farmers,  on  the  formation  of  such  a  Company,  with  such  broad 
aims.  Their  work  will  be  done  only  by  men  of  high  experience  and  responsi- 
bility. The  industry  of  sugar  producing  is  comparatively  a  new  one  in  this 
country,  and  only  a  few  people  are  familiar  with  it.  Therefore  it  is  one  of  the 
best  features  of  the  new  Company,  that  they  will  not  only  furnish  the  necessary 
machinery,  seed,  etc.,  but  also  the  experienced  men  who  will  assist  in  planting 
and  producing  the  sugar. 

The  names  of  the  officers  are  a  sufficient  guarantee  of  the  ability  of  the 
Company  to  do  its  work.  Mr.  Oxnard  and  his  brothers  have  been  successfully 
connected  during  their  lives  with  the  production  and  manufacture  of  sugar  in 
this  country.  Mr.  Hamilton  has  been  Secretary  of  various  sugar  factories 
since  they  have  been  in  existence.  Mr.  Baur  has  been  twenty  years  in  the  sugar 
business  in  this  country,  and  is  also  very  familiar  with  the  business  abroad^ 
We  wish  this  Company  success,  and  with  their  success,  our  farmers'  prosperity. 

HERBERT  MYRICK. 


INDEX. 


Ability  to  produce  our  own  sugar 8 

Actual  experience  of  farmers 122 

Address  of  state  experiment  stations, 128 

Adeline  plantation, 26 

Advantages  of  industry, 1*6 

Alabama  tests, 71 

Alameda  sugar  company, 43 

Alamitos  factory, 38,  50 

Allen,  R.  M., 16.43,  112,  120 

Alvarado,  factory 32,  33,  36,  43 

American  farmers'  demand, — 7 

American  sugar  growers'  society .T. 14 

Amount  of  protection  needed, 10 

Area  capable  growing  cane, 19 

Area  of  cane  in  Louisiana, 19 

Arkansas  tests, 71 

Austin,  Geo., 96 

Bardin.Jas., 121,125 

Battery  of  diffusion  sells, 51 

Battle,  H.  B., 71 

Bennett,  Dir., 71 

..  6 
.  as 
.  :U 
1(10 
114 


Beet  development  in  Europe,. 
Beet  development  in  future,.. 

Beet  industry  in  America 

Beet  pulp  for  milch  cows, 

3d, 


Beet  seei 
Beet  seeder, 

Beet  sugar  production  in  TT.  S 38 

Beet  tops  and  waste  for  beets, 110,  124 

Berthierville  factory, 32 

Bixby  land  company, 50 

Blackhawk,  Wis.,  factory, 31 

Boiler  room  at  Chino, 7 

Bone,  William 99 

Bonestill  &  Otto, 31 

Bounties,  state, 11 

Bounty,  German, 11 

Branch  factories, 131 

Building  and  equipping  cane  factory, 20 

Caffery  plant,... — 5 

California  development, 43 

California  factories: 

Alvarado  factories 32 

Sacramento, 32 

Istleton 32 

Los  Angeles 32 

Los  Alamitos, 37,  50 

Salinas  City, 38,50 

Alamitos, 38 

Chino, 42,44,45,46,47,48 

Cane  cultivate!', 27 

Cane  culture, 22 

Cane  stubble  digger, 27 

Capacity  of  factory, 131 

Carbonation  tank ...  30 

Carrying  beets  to  factory, 102 

Cautions  in  industry 137 

Chatsworth,  111.,  factory, 31 

Chino  beet  factory 30,  36,  42,  44,  45,  46,  47,  48 

Chino  beet  growers'  union, 48 

Clientele  of  sugarhouse, 20 

Climatic  conditions  for  beets, 73 

Co-efficient  of  purity, 38 

Colorado  tests,  70 

Combined  planter  and  cultivator, 84 

Commercial  grades  cai:3  sugar 1 

Competition,  present  an.i  future, 2 

Competition,  foreign, 2 

Competition,  European, 8 

Constituency  of  organization, 15 

Consumption  increase  in  U.  S., 4 


Co-operative  sugar  factories, 135 

Cordez,  H, 


i,  71 


Cost  cane  machinery, 

Cost  of  beet  factory, 132 

Cost  to  farmers, 120,  121 

Covers  diffusion  battery, 69 

Cultivating  beets, 90 

Cultivating  machine 29 

Cutler,  Thomas  R., 128 

Cutting  sugar  cane 18 

C  utworms, 113 

Dav.E.M., 124 

Delaware  factory 32 

Delaware  tests, 64 

Delver, 125 

Demand  for  beet  seed, 114 

Dethiefsen  Bros., 48 


108 
24 
107 

.  11 
60 

;{4 

.  ;J4 

i 

i 


136 
128 

114 
32 

14 


Development  of  beet  industry, 

Development  in  America, 

Dieppe  Bros'  process  in  raising  seed, 

Diffusion  battery 30,  51,  69 

Digestible  elements  in  100  Ibs  pomace, 

Directions  for  cane-sugar  making, 

Drying  beets, 

Du ly  on  imported, 

iDyer,  E.  H.  &  Co., 

iDyer,  E.  F., 

{Dyer,  E.  H 

Econom ic  aspects, 

Economic  crime, 

Eddy.  N.  M.,  factory, 32,36,59,60 

Employment  to  labor, 1J5 

Engine  room  at  Lehi, 63,  65 

Evan  Hall  plantation, 21,  25 

Evaporators 42 

Expenses  and  profits, 

Experiment  stations,  list  of, 

Experiments  with  beet  seed, 

Failure  of  early  attempts, 

Farmers  mean  business, 

Farnham  enterprise, 

Farwell,  Chas.  A 16,19 

Feeding  and  storing  pulp, , 108 

Feeding  molasses Ill 

Feeding  sugar  beets, 80, 110.  124 

Feeding  value  pomace, 108 

Field  of  beets, 72,  81 

Financiering  sugar  factory  enterprise, 130 

First  trials, 12 

Filter  presses, 30,  67 

Florida  plantation, 23 

Franklin  factory, 32 

Freeport,  Hi.,  factory, 31 

Fond  du  Luc,  Wis.,  factory, 31 

Fuel  for  factory, 131 

Fuel  used, 48 

Gang  plow 79 

Gennert  Bi  os., 31 

Georgia  beets, 71 

German  bounty 1 1 

Gird,  Richard, 46 

Goessman,  Prof.  C.  A., 34 

Good  beets, 75,  77 

Grades  centrifugal  of  sugar, 28 

Grand  Island  factory, 36,  50,  53,  55 

Granger,  Mr 98 

Greatest  need  of  sugar  industry, 139 

Gustafsen  Bros., 48 

Hamilton,  Jas.  G., 41 

Hand  planter  for  beets, Hi 

Harvesting  beets, 100,  102 

Harvesting  cane, 24 

Harvesting  machines, 102 

Henry  Carey  Baird  &  Co., 34 

Henry,  Prof.  W.  A 38 

History  cane  industry, 19 

Hoeing  and  thinning  beets, 94 

Houston,  H.  A., <jb 

How  beet  sugar  is  made, 4U 

How  to  get  a  factory, 127 

Idaho  tests, ' « 

Illinois  factories: 

Chatsworth 31 

Freeport, ^ 

Illinois  tests, 0«f 

Imports  into  U.  S., 2,4 

Imports,  recent, * 

Imports,  quantities  and  values  96, * 

Imports  from  Europe 2,  4 

Imports  from  south, - 

Imports  from  Orient, * 

Imports  from  West  Indies, 4 

Imports  from  South  America, 4 

Imports,  where  from, 4 

Imports,from  Oceanlca. •* 

Improvements  in  manufacture, l» 

Indian  territory  tests, J>* 

Indiana  tests ,°y 

Industry  employs  and  pays  labor, |£> 

Insect  pests, "» 

Interior  Norfolk  factory, 51 

Iowa  tests •  •  •  -.%' 

Irrigation, ^  S 

Istleton  factory ^ 

Isothermal  line, '• 


ADVERTISEMENTS.  147 


E.  H.  DYER.  EDWARD  F.  DYER,  Mgr.  H.  P.  DYER,  Sup't. 


6  fi.  Dyer 


BUILDERS  OF 


SUGAR  MACHINERY. 

Building:  and  nra""""tv,      ^ 

COriPLETE  BEET  SUGAR  PLANTS 

^     "A  Specialty. 
General  Office  and  Works, 

COR.  LAKE  AND  KIRTLAND  ST&, 

CLEVELAND,  O. 

During  the  past  25  years  the  above  concern  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  beet  sugar  and  designing  and  constructing  beet  sugar  machinery  and  factories. 
We  build  all  our  machinery  in  America  and  have  built  the  following  American  Beet  Sugar 
Factories:  The  Standard  Sugar  Refinery,  Alvarado,  CaL,  The  Utah  Sugar  Co.,  Lehi,  Utah, 
Los  Alamitos  Sugar  Co.,  Los  Alamitos,  CaL,  to  whom  we  refer. 

"Mr.  E.  F.  Dyer  erected  our  beet  sugar  factory  and  operated  it  two  seasons.  He  is 
thoroughly  competent  to  not  only  build,  but  to  operate  any  beet  sugar  factory  and  is  the 
only  man  that  I  have  met  with  in  the  United  States  who  is  positively  thorough  in  every 
detail  connected  with  the  industry."  THOMAS  R.  CUTLER. 

"In  completeness  of  detail,  arrangement  and  economy  of  labor,  our  factory  is  very  far 
ahead  of  any  that  I  have  ever  seen,  and  I  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  visit  every  factory 
in  the  United  States  (except  those  in  course  of  construction)  and  quite  a  number  in  both 
France  and  Germany.  When  it  comes  to  the  question  of  machinery,  there  is  really  no 
comparison  to  be  made  between  American  and  foreign  made,  and  as  to  the  arrangement, 
etc.,  it  is  sufficient  to  state  that  we  require  from  one-third  to  one-half  less  men  to  accom- 
plish the  same  work  than  is  required  in  a  foreign  factory  of  this  capacity." 

C.  A.  GRANGER, 

Supt.  Lehi  Sugar  Co. 


148 


THE    SUGAR   INDUSTRY. 


109 
126 
64 
86 
71 
60 
66 

36,70 
94 


Jaffa,  Prof., 

Johnson,  J.  W., 

Kansas  tests, 

Kelsey.Mr 

Kentucky  tests, 

Korn,  K.  G., 

Ladd,  E,  F 

Laphatn,  O.  K., 

Leaves  of  beet, 

Lehi  factory,  ...............  36,  54,  57,  58,  60,  63,  65,  67,  104,  111 

Lids  diffusion  batteries,  ....................................  69 

Lime  kilns,  ..................................................  47 

Lime  rock  for  factory,  ....................................  131 

Limestone  used,  ........  ....................................  48 

Locating  a  factory  .........................................  130 

Location  Neb.  factory,  .....................................  56 

Los  Alamilos  factory,  ......................................  37 

Los  Angeles  factory,  ......................................  32 

Louisiana  beet  tests,  .......................................  71 

Louisiana  cane  area,  ........................................  19 

Louisiana  ^u^arhouse,  —  ............................  5,  21.  26 

Lyon,  Prof.,  .................................................  86 

Maine  factory,  Portland,  .................................  32 

Management  sugar  factories  .................  .  ...........  134 

Manufacture  of  beet,  ........................  ..'..  ......  41,58 

Manufacture  of  cane,  ......................................  26 

Map  Eastern  Nebraska,  ..........  ......................  56 

Maryland  tests  ...........................................  :  64 

Massachusetts  factory,  Franklin,  ..........................  32 

Menomonee  Falls  factory,  ...................  ......  36,  60,  61 

Michigan  tests  ........................  .'  .....................  66 

Minnesota  tests,  .........................................    66 

Mississippi  tests,  ............................................  71 

Missouri  tests,  ............................................  64 

Moisture  for  beet,  ..................................  73 

Molasses  residue,  .........................  ,  ...........  110 

Montana  tests  ..............................................  70 

Moore,  Geo.  C  .................................  ............  124 

Morrow,  Director,  .......................................  64 

Myrick,  Herbert,  ...........................................  16 

Nebraska  Beet  Growers'  Association,  ....................  52 

Nebraska  factories: 

Norfolk,  ........................................  39,47.51 

Grand  Island,  ................................  50,53,55 

Nebraska  record,  ...........................................  54 

Nebraska  sugar  beets,  ...............................  16,  75,  77 

Negro  quarters  ..........................................  25 

New  Jersey  factory,  .....................................  32 

New  Jersey  tests  .........................................  64 

New  Mexico  factory,  ....................................  32,36 

Eddy,  ..............................................  59,60 

New  York  factories: 

Rome,  ..................................................    32 

N.  Y.  Beet  Sugar  Co.,  ....................................  38 

New  York  tests.  ............................................  62 

Nicholson,  H.  H.,  ................................  54,  114 

North  Dakota,  ...........................................  66 

Norfolk  factory  .............................  1.  ..  36,39,47,51 

North  Carolina  tests,  ...............................  ..  .....  71 

Objects  sugar  society,  .....................................  14 

Obstacles  American  industry,  .............................  8 

Obstacles  cane  industry,  .............................  .....  20 

Officers'  organization,  ....................................  16 

Ohio  tests  ...................................................  64 

Oklahoma  tests,  ..........................................  64 

Opening  for  capital,  ......................................  136 

Open-kettle  process,  .......................................  28 

Oregon  tests,  ..........................................  ......  TO 

Oxnard,  Henry  T.,  ..................................    31,  34,  36 

Oxnard,  James  G  .........................................  34 

Oxnard  plant,  .....................................  47,51,53 

Peckham.  Mr  ................................................  6 

Pecos  Valley  factory  ......................................  59 

Pecos  Valley  Sugar  Co.,  .................................  60 

Pecos  Valley  beet  field,  ...................................  72 

Peculiarity  cane  crop,  .....................................  20 

Pennsylvania  tests,  ........................................  64 

Per  cent  of  sugar,  .......................................    38 

Pests  of  the  beet,  ......................................  112 

Pettinger  Bros  ...........................................  122 

Plan  of  society's  work  ......................................  15 

Planting  cane,  ..........................................  22 

Plant  food  removed  ........................................  80 

Plowing  for  beets,  .........................................  82 

Poor  beets,  .............................................  75,  77 

Portland  factory,  ..........................................  32 

Preparation  cane  soil,  .....................................  22 

Price  for  beets  .........................................  44,126 

Produced  in  U.  S.,  ...........................................  4 

Progress  of  science  in  sugar  extraction,  .................  134 

Protection  needed,  ..........................................  10 

Protection  will  not  increase  price,  .....................  11 

Quality  and  grade  cane  product,  ...........................  27 

Quality  beet  sugar,  ..........................................  39 

Quebec  factories: 

Berthierville  .............................................  32 

Farnham,  .................................................  32 

Railroad  competition  necessary,  ..........................  130 


Rates  of  duty n 

Recent  development  beet  industry, 36 

Record  development  beet  industry, 36 

Record  in  Nebraska, 54 

Results  at  Chi  no, 48 

Results  in  Utah, 5$ 

Rice,  N.  S., 125 

Rightmier,  W.  C., 125 

Risk  to  capital, 8 

Roberts,  Prof.  I.  P., 64 

Rome,  N.  Y.,  factory, ...32 

Root  of  beet, 94 

Rotation  of  crops  for  cane 24 

Rotation  for  beets, 7 

Rules  to  secure  best  seed, 118 

Staunton  factory 36,  70 


47,  131 
.104 


...  71 
...  37 
...76- 

85,  87 


Steffins  process, 

Storage  sheds, 

Storing  beets, 

Subspi  ling 

Subsoil  pluws 

Sugar  and  monetary  problem 

.Supply,  total 4 

Stubbs,  Prof.  W.  C. 17,71 

Sacramento  tactory, 32 

Salinas  City  factory 38.  50 

Sandwich  Island  injustice, 3 

Scovell,  M.  A., 

Sectional  view  of  factory, 
Section  of  beet, 
Seeder, 
Seeding  beets, 

Seed  production  in  United  States, 114 

Seed  required  per  acre, 114 

Shamel,  C.  A., 86 

Shaw.  Prof.  G.  W., 90 

Shephard,  J.  H., 64 

Shipping  beets, 39 

Siloing  beets 102,105,106,113,115 

Size  of  beet, 76 

Snow,  B.  W., 16 

Snyder,  Prof.  Henry, 66 

Soil  for  beets, 78 

Soil  for  cane, 22 

Sorghum 14 

South  Carolina, 71 

South  Dakota :  64 

Spacing  beets, 94 

Specific  duty 10 

Spreckels,  Claus 36,43,50 

State  bounties, 11, 50 

State  experiment  station, 

Starting  cane  industry 

Statement,  Jas.  Bardin 

Tariff  of  1883 

Taylor,  Sam'l, 

Technical  terms  explained, 

Tennessee  tests 

Texas  tests 

Thinning  beets, 

Time  necessary, 

Trade  in  U.  S., 

Trouble  in  cane  industry, 

Typical  beet, 

Utah  results 

Utah  sugar  factor 35,54,57,58,60,63,65,67,111 

Utilizing  old  buildings, 138 

Vacuum  pan, 71 

Vanderford,  Sec., 71 

Varieties  beet, 62,  74 

Varieties  cane 19 

Varner,  Peter, 124 

Virginia  experiences 71 

Virginia  factories: 

Staunton 70 

Ware,  Lewis  S 34,91,103,110 

Washington  tests, : 7fr 

Waters,  Prof & 

Water  sluiceway  at  Alvarado, 133 

Watsonville  factory, 13,43 

Water  supply  for  factory, 131 

Weeding  beets, |» 

West  Virginia  tests, 71 

What  is  needed, M 

Where  and  how  to  start  a  factory, ••  13 

Wietzer.  Mr., 98, 1°6 

Wiley,  H.  W 34, 

WillU.  S.  produce  its  sugar, J 

Wilson,  Prof.  James, •••68 

Wisconsin  beet  field 81,115 

Wisconsin  factories: 

Fond  du  Lac, ;»f 

Black  Hawk, •••••  3} 

Menomonee  Falls, 36,  60,  bl 

Woodhouse,  Morgan, % 

World's  production, _£ 

Wyoming  tests, • 7(> 


.  L'4 
121 
10 


20 


ADV  L  KTISEMENTS. 


149 


THE  KILBY  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY, 


FOUNDERS 


AND 


MACHINISTS, 


CLEVELAND,  OHIO, 


NEW  YORK  OFFICE, 
144  Times  Building... 


BUILDERS  OF 

Complete  Machinery  for    Beet,  Cane  and  Glucose 
Sugarhouses  and  Refineries. 


150 


A  DVERTISEMEM  TS. 


LB 

TRADE 

AKE  ER|E 


<SH  GUAN 

MARK. 

ANALYSIS; 


ublePhosAcidLJfc 
.... 2    3 


MANUFACTURED  '<&* 

EJARECKlCHEHfcAL 


The  Jarecki        ' 
Chemical  Co., 

SANDUSKY,  OHIO. 


flan  uf  act  urers 

FISH  flANURES 


Illustrated  Pamphlet  on  Application. 


OFFER.  * 

THE  nature  of  our  business  brings  us  in  close  touch  with  a  large  number  of 
farmers,  and  consequently  we  fully  realize  that  the  condition  of  agricul- 
ture in  this  country  at  present  is  certainly  not  in  as  prosperous  a  condition 
as  it  might  be,  owing  largely  to  the  overproduction  of  our  present  staple 
crops,  and  it  is  our  belief  that  the  cultivation  of  the  sugar  beet  would  bring 
vast  and  permanent  relief  to  this  condition.  The  farmers'  prosperity  is  our 
prosperity,  and  we  therefore  desire  to  do  something  which  will  aid  to  make  a 
beginning  in  the  sugar  industry.  For  this  purpose  we  will  furnish  you,  free  of 
charge,  the  best  imported  sugar  beet  seed,  sufficient  for  one-fourth  acre  experi- 
mental patch,  and  will  make  a  chemical  analysis,  without  cost,  of  samples  of 
the  beets  grown  to  determine  the  percentage  of  sugar,  and  thus  enable  you  at 
practically  no  expense  to  determine  your  ability  to  grow  this  most  profitable 
product.  The  beets  grown  in  the  experiments  will  make  an  excellent  and 
valuable  food  for  milch  cows  and  other  stock.  The  experiments  would  of 
course  show  what  localities  are  best  adapted  for  the  location  of  factories,  and 
after  results  are  known  we  will  present  the  facts  to  capitalists,  and  use  our  best 
endeavors  to  secure  the  erection  of  adequate  works  within  easy  access  to  such 
sections  as  have  shown  their  ability  and  desire  to  grow  the  necessary  beets. 

To  make' the  above  offer  without  reserve  would  of  course  be  too  great  an 
undertaking  for  us  to  venture.  We  therefore  limit  the  same  to  such  persons 
as  are  customers  for  our  fertilizers,  or  have  been  at  any  time  within  the  past 
two  years,  dating  back  from  June  i,  1897,  no  matter  if  your  purchase  was  only 
one-half  ton.  Applicants  for  seed  would  therefore  be  required  to  have  their 
application  endorsed  by  our  local  agent  from  whom  the  fertilizer  was  purchased, 
unless  purchased  direct  from  us. 

Trusting  that  all  our  old,  as  well  as  many  new,  customers  will  take  advan- 
tage of  this  opportunity,  we  are,  Yours  for  prosperity, 

THE  JARECKI   CHEMICAL  CO., 

Olxio. 


ADVERTISEMENTS.  151 


E.   SALICH, 


Civil   Engineer 


and  Superintendent  of  Constructor?  of  Sugar  Factories, 

and    Contractor  for  the  Construction    and     Equipment  y£ 

of  Sugar  Factories.... 

HEADQUARTERS,  CHICAGO,  Ilili. 

Out  of  the    seven  beet   sugar  factories   iu   operation  in  the  United    States 
during  the  campaign  of  1896-7,  Mr.  Salich  has  built  and  equipped  three: 

The  Oxnard  Beet  Sugar  Co's.  factory  at  Grand  Island,  Neb. 
The  Norfolk  Beet  Sugar  Co's.  factory  at  Norfolk,  Neb. 
The  Pecos  Valley  Co's.  factory  at  Eddy,  New  Mexico. 

-^  CORRESPONDENCE    INVITED.  *~ 

GROWN  IN 


GERMANY. 


"Kldnwanzlcbcn  Original" 

*   Sugar  Beet  Seed. 


SOLD  WITH  A  GUARAN-  THE  MOST  RELIABLE  SUGAR 

TEED  GERMINATION.  ADDRESS  BEET  SEED  IN  THE  MARKET. 


•*  MEYER  &  RAAPKE. 


IMPORT  SINCE  1892  ^  U.  S.  and  Canada  Agents, 

955,000  POUNDS.  OMAHA,   NEB. 


ADVERTISEMENTS. 


READING  IRON  COMPANY, 


ZE3.^.,     TJ.  S. 


MANUFACTURERS  OF 


Sugar   Mill   Machinery, 

ENGINES  AND  BOILERS, 

Cotton   Compresses,  Machinery  in   General, 

Wrought=Iron   Pipe  and  Boiler  Tubes, 
Pig  Iron,         Boiler  Plate,         Forgings  of  every  description, 


CORRESPONDENCE    INVITED. 


PAYNE  &  JOUBERT,  New  Orleans  Representatives, 

423  Carondelet  St.,  New  Orleans. 


ADVERTISEMENTS. 


153 


ALBERT  W.  WALBURN, 

President  and  Treasurer. 


MAGNUS  SWENSON, 

Secretary  and  Manager. 


WALBURN -SWENSON  CO 

Engineers,  Founders  and  Machinists. 


BUILDERS  OF  THE  MOST  IMPROVED 


Beet  Sugar  Machinery, 

COMPLETE  BEET  SUGAR  PLANTS  AND 
CENTRAL   FACTORIES  A  SPECIALTY. 


WORKS, 
Chicago  Heights. 


CENTRAL  OFFICE, 
944  Monad  nock  Block,  Chicago. 


154  ADVERTISED  ENTS. 


1840.    HIGHEST  AWARD  J876-J897. 


American  Machinery 
«*     FOR  American  Plants. 

AMERICAN  BEET  SUGAR  MACHINERY. 

Every  Mechanical  Part  of  a  Plant  For  Making 
Sugar  From  Beet  Roots. 


Made  here  in  the  United  States  and  guaranteed  as 
good  as  any  that  can  be  made  or  used  for  the  business. 

50  YEARS  OF  PRACTICAL  EXPERIENCE  IN 
DEVELOPMENT  OF  SUGAR  MACHINERY. 

Have  furnished  all  machinery  for  all  early  Beet 
Plants  at  Portland,  Farnham  and  Wilmington,  and  for 
Experiment  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  for  Department  of 
Agriculture,  and  at  Government  Station  at  Magnolia, 
Louisiana. 


INSTALLED  ON  ALL  OF  THE  BEST  PLANTATIONS 

IN  LOUISIANA.  IN   CUBA.  IN   CUBA. 

Oxnard  Sprague,  Hormiguero,  Occitania, 

Caffeny  Central,  Purio,  Andrieta, 

A*  C*  Minor,  Constancia,  Armenia, 

Hon.  T.  S.  Wilkinson,  Regular,  Caracas, 

Hon.  H.  C.  Warmouth,  Porlugalette,  Senado, 

McCall  Bros.,  Teresa,  Flora  de  Cuba. 

Also  Brazil,  Peru,  Sandwich  Islands,  and  every  Sugar-Producing  Country  in 
the  world,  and  all  refineries  in  the  United  States,  and 

Many  Plants  and  Different  Apparatus  Which  are  Placed  Through 
Resident  Agents  or  Commission  Houses. 


A.  W.  COLWELL,  39  Cortlandt  Street,  New  York  City. 


ADVERTISEMENTS. 


155 


Beet  Machinery  of  Any  Description 

FROM  FOUNDATION  BOLTS  TO  CHIMNEY  CAPS. 


R.  R.   Buildings,    Elevators,   Washers,    Cutters,    Diffusion 
Batteries,    Carbonation    Tanks    and    Systems,     Filter 
Presses,  Triple  Effect,  Vacuum  Pans,  Pumps,  Cen- 
trifugals, Piping  and   Boilers.     All  Parts  of  a 
Plant  in   all  Details. 

Plant  Complete,  or  in  Parts,  Designed.        Erected  and  Operated  at  Lowest  Prices, 
Consistent  with  Good  Workmanship,  and  Guaranteed  in  all  Particulars. 


SUGARHOUSE  ON  CONSTANCIA  PLANTATION  AT  EUCRUSHADA,  CUBA. 

In  this  plant,  Mr.  Colwell  took  out  some  French  machinery  and  replaced  it  with  his  own,  and  remodeled  the 
vacuum  pan  and  triple  effect  so  that  the  pan  would  boil  in  25  per  cent  of  the  time  that  it  did  before  the  change.  Mr. 
Colwell  also  built  on  the  same  plantation  the  largest  pumping  engine  on  the  island.  The  above  is  a  picture  of  only  one 
of  the  many  plantations  for  which  Mr.  Colwell  has  furnished  vast  amounts  of  machinery. 


A.  W.  COLWELL, 

CONSULTING  AND  CONTRACTING  ENGINEER 

For  All  Matters  Pertaining  to  Beet  Machinery. 


DRAWINGS    AND    ESTIMATE    FURNISHED.       CORRESPONDENCE    SOLICITED. 


ADDRESS:  39  CoiUandt  St.,  New  York  City. 


156  ADVERTISEMENTS. 


SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA  BEET    SUGAR    ENTERPRISE 


)N  THE 


LOS  ALAMITOS   RANCHO, 

THE  HOME  OF  THE  SUGAR  BEET. 


THE  BIXBY  LAND  COMPANY, 


OF   LOS   ANGELES,   CALIFORNIA, 


6000  acres  of  choice  sugar  beet  land  and  540  lots  in  the  new  town  of  "LOS 
ALAMITOS",  where  a  BEET  SUGAR  FACTORY,  with  a  capacity  of  700 
tons  of  beets  per  day,  is  now  being  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $600,000,  which  will 
be  completed  about  June  15th,  in  time  to  work  up  this  year's  crop  of  beets. 


A  Few  Facts  Concerning  the  Lands,  Townsite 
and  Sugar  Factory. 

LOCATION — The  tract  is  part  in  the  southern  portion  of  Los  Angeles  County,  part  in  the 
western  portion  of  Orange  County,  is  distant  20  miles  from  the  City  of  Los  Angeles, 
14  miles  from  Santa  Ana,  the  county  seat  Orange  County,  9  miles  from  Anaheim  and 
Long  Beach,  a  summer  resort,  5  miles  from  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

SOIL — The  soil  is  a  rich,  deep,  moist,  alluvial  loam,  perfectly  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of 
a  great  variety  of  products  without  irrigation,  most  important  among  which  is  the 
sugar  beet,  which  grows  rich  and  luxuriant. 

CLIMATE — The  climate  is  mild  and  invigorating,  and  owing  to  the  close  vicinity  of  the 
ocean,  is  cooler  in  summer  and  warmer  in  winter  than  locations  further  inland,  being 
an  ideal  site  for  all-year-round  homes  (the  thermometer  seldom  falls  below  35°  and 
rarely  exceeds  80°). 

WATER — The  water  for  the  land  and  town  is  obtained  from  flowing  artesian  wells,  irri- 
gation is,  however,  not  needed  here,  fruits,  grain,  and  sugar  beets  requiring  no  water 
after  being  planted,  as  the  subsoil  is  sufficiently  moist  to  feed  the  plants. 

RAINFALL— The  rainy  season  is  from  December  to  April,  during  which  season  all  the 
rain  of  the  year  falls  ;  there  are  no  long  storms,  the  rain  coming  in  short  showers  and 
often  at  night.  Most  of  the  days  during  the  winter  are  warm,  sunny  and  bright. 
The  average  rainfall  is  about  20  inches. 

SCHOOLS — Arrangements  are  being  made  now  to  build  and  open  schools  on  the  tract, 
and  also  in  the  town  of  Los  Alamitos  before  the  fall  term  of  1897. 

TAXES — State  and  county  taxes  amount  to  about  80  cents  per  acre  each  year. 

TITLE— The  title  to  the  land  is  perfect,  and  with  each  conveyance  is  given  a  contract  to 
raise  sugar  beets  for  the  Los  Alamitos  sugar  factory. 

PRICE  AND  TERMS— The  price  of  these  lands  is  from  $150  per  acre  up,  according 
to  location.  The  regular  terms  are  one-fourth  cash,  the  balance  on  or  before  one,  two 
or  three  years,  with  interest  at  the  rate  of  8  per  cent,  per  annum  on  deferred  payments. 
Tracts  can  be  secured  in  areas  from  5  acres  upwards. 


ADVERTISEMENTS. 


157 


A  FEW    FACTS 

And  results  by  some  of  our  farmers  who  have  raised  sugar  beets  in  the  district  and  shipped 
them  under  contract  to  the  Chino  factory,  70  miles  distant  from  the  Los  Alamitos,  show 
conclusively  that  the  raising  of  sugar  beets  is  the  most  remunerative  and  paying  crop  for 
the  intelligent  and  industrious  farmer,  where  in  live  months  from  the  time  of  planting  he 
is  paid  for  his  crop  at  prices  contracted  for  before  planting,  and  that  three  to  four  crops  will 
pay  for  the  land  which  is  being  sold  at  one-half  the  price  of  what  similar  lands  bring  in 
France  and  Germany,  where  the  beets  are  not  as  rich  in  sugar  by  4  to  6  per  cent. 

RESULTS  OF  SUGAR  BEETS  RAISED  IN  THIS  DISTRICT. 


Acres 
Planted 

Total 

Tonnage 

Tons 
per  Acre 

Susiarin 
Beets 

Amount 
Received 

Amount 
per  Acre 

Expense  per 
Acre 

Profit  per 
Acre 

H  H.  Bartlett  

2 

25 

124- 

20 

$131.25 

$65.62 

S.  S.  Ball  

4| 

71 

lof 

18 

385.96 

71.35 

$14.41 

$56.94 

E  A   Sparks. 

8 

110 

13* 

20 

660.81 

70.00 

12.48 

57.52 

I.  J.  Jones  

40 

720 

18 

16 

2851.22 

71.25 

.  13.64 

57.61 

J.  W.  J.  Culton.... 
V.  Gustavson  
G.  W.  Gamer.  ... 

25 
20 
9 

428 
343 
223 

17 

171 
24f 

16 

17 

18 

1829.12 
1800.72 
1208.25 

73.16 
90.00 
134.25 

15.41 
15.53 
25.98 

57.75 
76.42 

118.27 

A  conservative  average  tonnage  per  acre  on  our  lands  is  15  and  the  average  sugar  in  the 
beets  16  per  cent.  The  price  paid  for  beets  by  the  company  is  $3.25  for  12  per  cent,  beets 
and  25c  per  ton  for  each  1  per  cent,  of  sugar  additional,  thus  the  average  price  per  ton  of 
beets  would  be  $4.25  per  ton. 

At  15  tons  per  acre $63.75 

Cost  of  production  per  acre 20.00 

Net  per  acre  at  these  conservative  figures $43.75 

THE  TOWNSITE. 

In  about  the  center  of  the  tract  is  located  the  new  town  of  Los  Alamitos,  laid  out 
October,  1896,  and  the  Los  Alamitos  sugar  factory,  now  nearing  completion,  which  will 
work  up  during  this  year's  campaign  40,000  tons  of  sugar  beets  and  80,000  tons  annually 
thereafter,  for  which,  including  help  and  other  materials  used  in  the  manufacture  of  sugar,, 
the  factory  will  expend  each  year  from  $550,000  to  $600,000. 

The  average  size  of  lots  in  the  townsite  is  50  x  150  feet. 

All  the  streets  are  80  feet  wide,  the  sidewalks  12  feet,  the  alleys  15  feet. 

The  purest  of  artesian  water  under  good  pressure  is  piped  in  the  alley  of  each  lot. 

PRICES  of  town  lots  range  from  $75  to  $550,  according  to  location.  The  regular 
terms  are  one-third  cash,  the  balance  on  or  before  one  and  two  years,  with  interest  at  the 
rate  of  8  per  cent,  per  annum  on  deferred  payments. 

The  government  harbor  and  Southern  California's  seaport,  San  Pedro,  is  but  14  miles 
distant,  and  the  Southern  Pacific  Railway,  which  has  built  a  $5000  depot  at  Los  Alamitos, 
its  present  terminus,  will  connect  with  San  Pedro. 

These  lands  and  lots  are  in  the  hands  of  first  owners, who  are  not  holding  for  speculative 
purposes,  but  are  desirous  of  having  them  improved  and  sugar  beets  raised  on  the  lands. 

Unsold  lands  are  leased  to  actual  prospective  buyers  at  a  low  rental  or  upon  shares. 

Correspondence  from  those  desiring  to  buy  or  rent  land  for  the  most  profitable  crop 
"  Sugar  Beet  Culture,"  or  buy  lots  in  the  new  and  promising  town  of  Los  Alamitos,  is 
solicited,  and  will  receive  prompt  and  careful  attention.  Address 

BIXBY   LAND  COMPANY, 

310-12  BYRNE  BUILDING, 
FRANK  J.  CAPITAIN,  ^,     t.£ 

secretary.  Los  Angeles,  California. 


158  ADVERTISEMENTS. 


The  "  Sugar  Bowl"  of  the  Great  Southwest 


-IS   THE 


RICH  VALLEY  OF  THE  RIO  PECOS 

IN   THE 

COUNTIES  OF  EDDY  AND   CHAVES 


-OF- 


MEXICO.^ 


The  seventh  Beet  Sugar  factory  in  the  United 
States  was  erected  at  Eddy,  New  Mexico,  in  1896, 
and  made  its  first  "  Campaign r  beginning  Nov. 
15,  1896,  and  closing  Feb.  15,  1897. 

The  content  of  " Sugar  in  the  beet"  of  the  crop 
grown  in  the  Eddy  and  Roswell  sections  of  the  valley 
has  proven  to  be  more  uniformly  high  than  in  any 
other  part  of  the  United  States, 

124  separate  analyses,  chiefly  car  load  lots, 
showed  an  average  of  17*01  per  cent,  sugar  in 
beet;  84.1  per  cent,  purity. 

This  remarkable  result  was  accomplished  by  raw 
farmprs  unacquainted  with  the  culture  of  beet  root, 
on  new  land  and  under  very  trying  circumstances, 
as  the  factory  was  not  assured  until  May,  and  a 
majority  of  the  acreage  was  planted  between  June 
1st  and  August  10th. 


ADVERTISEMENTS.  159 


Fortunately,  the  land  is  blessed  with  just 
the  fertility  to  produce  high  grade  beets,  and. 

More  fortunately,  the  Pecos  Irrigation  and 
Improvement  Co.  and  the  Roswell  Land 
and  Water  Co.  have  an  irrigation  system  of 
great  magnitude,  covering  a  vast  body  of 
the  best  sugar  beet  lands  on  earth.  The 
water  is  applied  to  the  crop  when  needed. 
The  sun  shines  more  hours  in  the  day  and 
more  days  in  the  year  in  Eddy  and  Chaves 
Counties,  New  Mexico,  than  in  any  other 
section  of  the  West. 

GOOD    SOIL  makes  the  seed  germinate. 
WATER   makes    the    plant    grow. 
SUNLIGHT  Puts  the  sugar  in  the  beet. 

The  only  thing  left  to  be  desired  that  the 
Pecos  Valley  has  not  on  hand  in  abundance 
is  PEOPLE;  we  need  thrifty  farmers—  500 
heads  of  families  each  on  a  4o-acre  farm. 
No  fairer  terms  or  conditions  were  ever 
made.  Write  for  particulars. 

The  Pecos  Irrigation  and  Improvement  Co., 
J.  J.  HAGERMAN,  Pres. 

Pres.  The 

Roswell,  New  Mexico. 


E.  0.  FAULKNER,  Vice  Pres.  The  Roswe11   Land  and  Water  Co" 


160  ADVERTISEMENTS. 


DESIGNERS  AND  ENGINEERS 


-KOR- 


Complete  Sugar  Refineries 

Plantation  Outfits. 


AND 


BUILDINGS,  MACHINERY 
AND  APPARATUS. 


Designers  and  Engineers   of  the  McCahan   Sugar  Refinery  of 
Philadelphia — The   National   Sugar  Refinery  of    Yonkers,  N.  Y.— 
Engineers  for  the  installation  of  all  machinery  and  apparatus  in  The 
United  States  Sugar  Refinery,  Camden,  N*  J.t  and  now  building  com- 
plete the  Arbuckle  Sugar  Refinery  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Sole  Agents  in  the  United  States  for  M.  Weinrich's  Bone  Black 
Decarbonizing  and  Revivifying  Process  and  Apparatus — Newhall 
Granulator  and  other  sugar-making  specialties* 


ADDRESS 


•    George  I.  Newhall  Engineering  Co.,  Ltd., 

136  South  Fourth  Street,      -      PHILADELPHIA,  U.  S.  A. 


.34 


LD2'-iooM.7/33 


YU    I4V46 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


